Posts Tagged ‘life coach’
-
Millionaire musings.
Tomorrow I turn 56. Today my family travelled two hours (one way) to come celebrate with my husband and I. Even my son was able to join in despite the fact that he is smack dab in the middle of exams at university. The weather was great and we enjoyed a nice hike through town on our way back home from the restaurant. We had Thai food. I got to pick where we were going to eat.
You know I just have to say that I am one lucky girl. So many people took the time out of their day to make mine special and I am grateful for that. I am also not without the knowing that what I put out I receive in turn.
My life ( like so many others) has been full of hurdles. There have been times when my behaviour has been less than stellar (ok bitchy is a good word here) and yet people have stuck around. There have also been times when the lives of those I love have been difficult and I have done my best to try and be my best for them. I have tried. Sometimes I failed but not always.
If I could share one thing with you on the eve of my birthday: if I could give you one gift that would make your life so much better: it would be this: love You first.
Love yourself to the deepest recesses of your soul. Love yourself with all the respect and courage and truth that you can muster up and then love yourself deeper than that for it is in this love that you will learn how to love others.
You are amazing. You are fantabulous. You are a marvel and you are remarkable: believe it and accept it.
This is my gift to you on the eve of my 56th birthday. There is no amount of money that can purchase this gift and yet
it is priceless.
Oh and just for the record this is non-refundable.
-
Saying No to Yes
So most of you probably know of Oprah Winfrey. You probably know of her shows and her new network too. I recently had the chance to go to Harpo studios to preview Miss Representation (www.missrepresentation.org) at the Rosie show. I was invited to the screening by writing an essay about the effects of social media on our girls and boys. It’s an issue I am very passionate about. Going to see Rosie was awesome and I love love love Chicago.
Oprah has been taking her show on the road for a few weeks with the likes of Tony Robbins and Deepak Chopra throughout the United States.
We finally got our chance to see her when ticket sales were announced today to an event in Toronto on April 16.
One of my fabulous clients Shelley sent me a note and asked if I was going and did I want to go with her? Oh yeah baby.
With no time to waste I got on the phone (in between working calls) got out the handy dandy credit card (a brand new one had just arrived in the mail) and got set to wait online to place my order. Bonus #1. I did not have to wait on the phone at all. The service was fast and efficient.
Which section did I want? Um not doing my homework (who had time?) I just ordered them from the closest e’section to the divine Ms. O and her other fabulous guests. Here’s why I did this.
I really don’t know if this will ever happen again. I really love my job and I am always telling people to take the leap: walking the talk here I leapt toward 4 tickets plus Shelley’s. After I got off the phone (yay I got all 5 ) I was able to read some of the stories that were running around online about the event.
“Dear Oprah. I would love to see you but I can’t afford to go. “ “Dear Oprah: I really want to go to see you but my husband won’t let me” ” Dear Oprah: I think you are asking too much money to go to see you. Can I have free tickets?” All legit reasons not to go and of course there are so many people who truly cannot afford to attend an event like this but this is not the case for everybody.
Some could go but they wait: they hesitate: they ponder and the become indecisive. What they’re doing is saying “no” to “yes.” in their life. Saying no means they let fear take over and here’s what happened today if you were one of the folks who decided to wait: sadly: you did not get tickets.
Imagine that..if it is on your wish list to see Oprah and you didn’t go because _______________ (fill in the blank).
I’ve said no to me for a long time. As a child who was abused I learned not to ask for things for myself. I did without a lot of things because I didn’t believe I deserved them. The blessing of my coaches over the years has been that I am now very comfortable saying yes when I really want to say yet. No strings. no problems…just a yes and then a whole lot of anticipation as the date rolls closer.
I’ll keep you updated on a big surprise announcement coming up soon..
-
Is it time for an intervention with your business?
I am a sole proprietor of a small business, essentially a one woman show, for all intents and purposes. Does that mean I do everything by myself? Not on your life. My better half is quick to ensure our dogs get out for the daily runs if he sees that my day is full of client calls. My friends help me out with errands or dog sitting or even just meeting up for coffee to make sure I get the hell out of the house and see the sky.
Working on your own is exhilarating and fun and lonely and frustrating and so much more than all of that.
I know that many women who are small business owners struggle with “work, life, balance” issues. They are of the belief that they can’t take time out for themselves, they find it hard to give themselves permission to step away from the work, just in case something happens.
Have you ever watched a gambling addict at a casino? You know the one: they can’t step away from the machine even for a second because they know the next big win is just waiting for them.
One time I visited a new casino in Florida because we had coupons to eat there. As I walked past the line of telephones a woman collapsed on the floor, bam, right in front of me. She didn’t even have time to hang up the phone. I learned later that she had been inside at the casino for more than 24 hours straight! I don’t think I have ever done anything for 24 hours, except breathe. She was pasty and exhausted and dehydrated and apparently used Depends so she didn’t even have to leave to go to the washroom! Yikes!
I see lots of people who seem to be addicted to their businesses. They cannot leave, they cannot take any time off even when they are not well. They give me lots of good reasons for their behavior but, truth, the bottom line is that this is a choice. We all have choice in our lives about who we want to be and how we want to be.
Since I am not perfect, I know that probably shocks some of you, I do over extend myself some days. I may try to accommodate a client by changing an appointment for them when I already have several calls that day. I am learning though because I know this for sure: if I do not take care of me then my clients are not cared for properly, my family is not cared for and my two lovely dogs are not properly cared for.
Some days it’s hard to let the phone ring and take me time but I am taking my lesson from the woman at the casino ” you have to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em” and if you don’t, at some point you’re probably going to fall flat on your face, bam, just like that.
-
Did you know I got held up?
I was on a radio show today sharing the message about my movement Helping Millions Make Millions. Thanks to Bev Mahone of the Boomer Beat radio show for letting that happen. You can listen to the full broadcast right here!
You know that song These Eyes, by the Guess Who? I love that song…it was really popular when I was in my teens and it still is a favourite amongst several generations. The words of the song came to mind today when I was thinking about writing this story. As you sing along consider changing the words to These Arms…
When I was thinking about what I wanted to say this message came to my mind: women use money differently than men, we support our causes, our communities, our kids. Women do not, generally speaking, see war as the answer to complex issues. We are pacifists when it comes time for resolution.
Well here’s something to consider. Women make up 53% of the population and earn 1% of the wealth! We are the 99%! Doesn’t that make you mad? It infuriates me and partly because we seem to have accepted that as a way of life and choose not to change our circumstance..
I have a solution..we should have an arms race. Men do it all the time, governments are always saying it’s a good idea…look how much power arms races instill. The next superpower is usually determined by the country with the most arms, right?
However, since I ascribe to the pacifist solution, my take on the arms race is very “out of the box.” I say women should join together in unity and raise each other up. Offer a hand up not a hand out. Take a look at this amazing Ted Talk about women and biz in war torn countries. It speaks volumes about the power of women in my humble opinion.
Look at your arms and marvel at their strength, Honour that they have soothed and saved and loved all your life.
These arms, your arms, hugged children when they needed soothing, these arms reached out to touch the hand of a lost soul and bring them back, these arms hugged a human in their most excruciating time of need, these arms comforted and cared for and caressed people you loved. These arms, your arms, scratched the ears of your favourite puppy, stroked the belly of a furry kitten, combed the fine soft hair of a baby child, pushed the hair out of the eyes of your mother as she rested and your son as he recovered from the flu. These arms will hold you up, lift you up, push you up and, with a circle of women in your life, the world will be changed.
I got held up and you know what, it was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Are you ready to join in the arms race? Ae you ready to start turning your passion into profit and offer a hand up to other women?
-
Martin Luther King Jr did not write this.
We who are in our fifties, the movement begins
I hope you take the time to watch this video, it is my personal plea to all of us..
Today is the birthdate of Martin Luther King Jr. If ever there was a person that believes in his dream, “I have a dream” it was he.
If ever there was a man who could not, would not,take any other path toward equality it was him.
Today I am inspired to continue with my dream of teaching a million women how to make a million dollars by turning their passion into profit. No over night gimmicks, no make money fast shtick. This is a program that will challenge your beliefs, turn you upside down and inside out and give you the opportunity, finally,to live a truthful life.
Today, as I remember the great and never failing Martin Luther King Jr, I give thanks for his tenacity, his persistence, his commitment to his bigger picture and I am pressed to move on despite all the naysayers and non believers.
I too have adream…I wish for all women to be empowered, to be equal, to be included in the financial conversations around the world. Money is power, no doubt, let’s take it back…
-
Learning how to be an extraordinary woman
-
Throw out the cranberry sauce? Are you crazy it’s Christmas!
Seriously can you imagine if somebody decided that this Christmas there would
not be cranberry sauce with the turkey? Even if it’s the canned stuff that’s
more like jelly than cranberries it’s the tradition that is important right? If
you’re like my family you have always had turkey with cranberry sauce at
Christmas and probably Thanksgiving too. It’s just what we do: I’ve never really
thought about it when I started to prepare my own festive meals until one of my
children balked at the idea of cranberries and turkey. Well mostly they balked
at the thought of eating turkey but the cranberries didn’t thrill them
either.
Here’s how the conversation went:
Me: “What do you mean you don’t want cranberries with the turkey? Wait you
don’t want turkey either?”Child: “Mom you know I’m vegetarian I don’t eat turkey and the cranberries
are not organic and they’re full of sugar. I’m not putting that into my
body.”Me: “But we’ve always had cranberries. My mom served it to us: all of our
relatives serve cranberries with turkey.”Child: “I know mom but I don’t want any..no offence but it’s not my tradition
it’s your’s.”Me: “But what’s mine is your’s….it’s always been that way…” voice
trailing off as I begin to question the whole concept of doing something “just
because.”Child: “Mom I’m not having any. You can serve it if you want but I’m not
having any..”Me: ” Ok…ok I get it you don’t want it…”
End of conversation but most certainly not the end of the thought process for
me. What did it mean to have traditions and why do we follow them? Is it simply
something we do because that’s the way it’s always been done?That thought led to think about money and traditions and here’s what I’ve
come up with .In my family the tradition was that money was hard to come by: money was
finite: money was something to be taken very seriously: money meant control and
a lack of money meant no control: money was to be saved for a rainy day…money
was a struggle that would never get easier.You know what? I’m with my kids on this one: I’m throwing out the cranberry
sauce and the money traditions this year! I’m done with struggle and fear and
scraping by and making do….What about you? Do you have any money traditions
that you’re holding onto just because that’s the way it’s always been?Speaking of traditions enjoy this piece from Time…
Now go be fearless.
-
What’s driving you nuts? It might be worth a million bucks.
Million dollar business ideas have no boundaries, age limits, race restrictions, time lines, or economic class. They can occur when you least expect them.
For psychologist Roger Adams, it occurred during a midlife crisis and divorce. For management consultant Mercia Tapping, it happened after a 10-year battle with allergies and the search for a cure. Ruta Fox was a freelancer running out of work when she said “Ah” to her “Aha” moment. Searching for the million dollar business idea is less a product of business planning and market research and more born from observation and frustration.
The Aha! Effect
It’s a flash of quick insight leading to an obvious answer, the proverbial light bulb moment, or eureka event. When it happens, your life will never be the same.
Roger Adams was burnt out and hated his job. On vacation in Huntington Beach, Roger was reminded of “a happier time watching the kids, working at the roller rink, and growing up as a kid around skating. Seeing kids going by on their in lines and skate boards and I thought there has got to be something new out there,” reflects Adams.
It was then the proverbial light bulb over the head occurred. “I got this idea for a shoe you could walk and roll on,” says Adams. He headed for the garage and started cutting up running shoes and placing wheels on them.
After putting together a few designs, Adams thought to put the wheel in the heel. Falling several times, Adams realized he had to stagger his feet to balance. “The fall and the getting up the 4th time is when the hair on the back of my head stood up and I had a vision like I never had before. I just knew this thing could be successful,” says Adams.
The eureka moment led to the creation of the running shoe with a built in wheel and a new sport called heeling. Texas-based Heeling Sports Limited has grown rapidly with sales in over 50 countries and is on track to reach over $40 million in 2005. Heelys is now one hot international trend.
Today’s million dollar business inpsiration is taken from About.com/small business information.
http://sbinformation.about.com/od/bizopportunities/a/milliondollar.htm
If you’re like Roger Adams in this article and are fed up with your job there are other choices available to you. When you’re stuck in the mud of despair it’s often too cloudy to see anything but more muck. Want a change? Don’t know where to start? Working with a life coach will offer you a new way to look at things: to shift your perspective: to clear away the mud. Want to try a sample session?
Contact life coach Jan to set up your time for a sample session. Isn’t it time? Aren’t you just tired of doing things that you hate doing? Contact Jan at jan@helpingmillionsmakemillions.com to set up your free session right away!
-
Do the math ladies: WE are the 99%
When I was a teenager in high school I took several of the mandatory math classes. My preference was music and language but I had to take math if I wanted to graduate. Back then we had grade thirteen (yup I’m aging myself) I did pretty well in grade nine math but it wasn’t my favourite class for sure. Grade ten math was a nightmare. Apparently I liked nightmares back then because I was given the opportunity to repeat the nightmare for another year. For two years I tried to understand what the teacher was trying to teach. Here’s what I learned from this man who called himself a teacher.
1. If you weren’t a jock you didn’t count
2. If you were a female in his class you had one purpose: to be beautiful. (strike two on that one)
3. If you tried to ask questions you were called stupid or idiot or dummy and stood the chance of having the chalk eraser thrown at your head. ( I know because it happened to me until I learned to stop asking)
4. If you didn’t understand the work you sure as hell didn’t ask the teacher for help.
5. If you didn’t ask for help and didn’t understand you sure as hell had better not let the teacher know that he had failed at his job.
Bottom line: I stopped going to class and I failed grade ten math twice. Same teacher same class same failure.
In that class I came to believe that I didn’t know much about math which was ironic because my first full time job was at a bank. I stayed there for many years and moved up in the ranks fairly quickly. Actually I did understand math: I didn’t understand those teaching methods in grade ten: big difference.
Now about 40 years later here’s something you all should know.
The CBC did a documentary in March of this year called “The F Word” In it they quote the statistic that women compromise 53% of the population in the world and earn 1% of the wealth. Do the math ladies! That means 43% of the world earns 99% of the wealth!
I am pretty certain my math teacher from way back when would think that this statistic would actually be ok but I sure don’t. I hope you find this startling too: startling enough to want to change the numbers. You ready to be a change maker?
Women in business will be the ones to start up our ailing economy and here’s a cool and fun math kinda graph to show you how that all works. from Open Forum.
Women support local: women shop local: women support other women in business who support other women in business: well you see where I’m going with this. Women don’t just make money and hoard it they share it out: they support their communities and their communities don’t just survive they thrive. Want to be part of a movement like that? Want to be a woman who helps to change her entire community? If you’re not sure how to start but you know you have a great idea consider hiring a life coach to get you started on the right track.
Do the math ladies.What’s the elephant in the room? Women and wealth. We ARE the 99%: change that.
Now go be fearless. Jan
-
Falling flat on her face: literally
She flew off the back of a moving motorcycle but she doesn’t remember it. They tell her she flew thirty feet in the air and landed on her face. That accident was a year ago and she’s still trying to pull the pieces of her life together. She hasn’t been able to work because she suffers from the effects of a severe concussion. It’s likely she won’t be able to go back to the work she had been doing for the last 25 years.
I met her at the swimming pool today. We were both going to the same aqua fit class and I wasn’t sure where to go and she did so we walked together. I was grateful for her help and happy to speak with somebody new. She’s fearless this woman: she wants to work: she doesn’t want to stay home and not do anything meaningful in her life. I sensed she had a lot to share so I closed my mouth and opened my ears and waited.
Turns out she’s pretty scared of what her future will look like if she can’t work at the same career. Turns out she’s pretty devastated after finding out she may never go back to this job. Turns out it’s no wonder she feels the way she does :that’s pretty dam scary.
I believe we were meant to meet so that she could share her story with me. Choosing to keep myself still and quiet and present during our time together allowed her to open up to me in a way she had not done for quite some time. I was honoured that she felt comfortable enough to trust me with her story.
You know what I learned from this remarkable woman? We all have our challenges: some are big: some not so much but it depends on how you look at it personally. Hearing her story left me wondering how big my obstacles really are….it’s all perspective isn’t it?
Well I’ve given myself a huge challenge and some days it feels just kinda huge. Helping a million women make a million dollars in their life time by turning their passion into profit: that’s the challenge. Most people believe it can’t be done but I don’t believe them. Why do I want to do this? Good question and it’s a long story but here’s the short version. The elephant in this room we call Earth is this: Women make up 53% of the population. Women earn 1% of the wealth…WE are the 99% ladies. That’s gotta change and if it takes me to be one of the change makers well I’m up for it.
How about you? Do you believe you can make a million dollars doing what you love?
Share it out friends I’d love to hear your story.
Now go be fearless.
