Being Consistent with Work – During Summer?
So here’s how my summer days start: Me to self: “Today’s going to be great! I’ll write a blog post, clean the kitchen, have that call with my client, get that Power Point done and have a snack ready for the kids after camp!” By 9:30, I’m cleaning my office, that blog post only has a title, I have to stop cleaning to prepare for my call and the Power Point is only half baked. Pretty soon it’s noon, and I have no idea what happened, but I’d like to go shopping and get some fun summer activities scheduled for my kids. By then I’ve decided I’m going to pick up the kids early, play at the pool and then go for a picnic. Well this is no recipe for business success! What the…. I have a little story I tell myself about this time of year. It was during summer when my kids were 4 and 1, that I knew I had to quite working inside “the system”. Well, that’s what I call it. Working inside a corporation can definitely feel like that. Spending my precious summer days inside a freezing office (seriously, you could hang meat in there), while my kids were at the pool, running through the sprinklers and at craft lessons, just didn’t work for me. Maybe it was my own memories of my mother that made me miss my kids so much during these months. Or I guess it could have been my own selfish needs, I’m not sure. But whatever it was, the summer months woke me up and made me realize it was time to find my own Better Way to manage my work life and motherhood. What in the world does this have to do with consistency? Well, I find it very difficult to concentrate in the summer months. I want to be with my kids. I want to teach them how to swim. I want to bake cherry pies. I want to sit in the sun and read, or pop popcorn and watch old movies. Now that I own my own company, and what follows is that I am completely in charge of my time, I should just check out and be with my kids, right? Well, yes, actually. I think that’s a great idea. Will I miss a few opportunities with new clients? Perhaps. Will I make a little...
Read MoreGrowth Spurts – “Did That Hurt?”
I will never forget asking my nephew as I watched him growing taller and taller (he is now 6’5″), “Did that hurt?” He said he didn’t think so. But it must have. Our children have growth spurts all the time, both physical and emotional. We watch them as they struggle with those changes. Think of their struggle with those first steps, the transition from toddler to school-child, and the even larger transition from little boy or girl to teenager. All these transitions are huge and often they are accompanied by pain for our kids and for us as their parents. I remember having these V-8 moments when my kids were infants wondering why they couldn’t sleep at night when they were sleeping just fine the week before — the answer invariably was, growth spurt. So what happens when we get older? Where are our growth spurts? We may not realize that when we struggle with change we are going through our own personal growth spurts. They don’t end just because we are presumably “fully formed.” In fact, the pain and struggle continues when we get older but it may not be as obvious. And just like our kids, after all that pain and struggle we tend to forget and are just, well, somehow taller. As I travel around the world spreading the EDGE message both in my work as The Suburban Outlaw and in my coaching and training role, I can’t help but think about growth (the G in EDGE). This is on my mind this Spring because I’m seeing “live” the benefits of going out of my comfort zone last fall. I’ve never been a gardener and this past fall we planted actual bulbs (I know, what’s so hard about that?). Now I’m watching flowers I cannot even name pop up from the dirt. The metaphor of planting something and having it struggle through the dirt to yield color and beauty months later rings true in life. I realize now I needed to live a creative life as an actor and a writer in order to bring my offering back to the business world. Cultivating my personal growth and sometimes even struggling along the path to the Actor’s EDGE has helped me to make a difference in the business world by helping business leaders to connect their hearts to the bottom-line. I struggled with the transition from lawyer to...
Read MoreReview of Autumn by Susan Branch
Fall is my favorite season. The beautiful leaves, the fresh, crisp air, the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg in the kitchen, beautiful pumpkins on doorsteps and the thrill of a new school year. Not to mention Halloween and the pending holiday season! All of this comes together to make autumn a very special time of year. Susan Branch has captured all of this and more in her wonderful book, aptly named, Autumn. In this very special book, every page is covered with her lovely artwork and some delicious recipes to make the kitchen and family feel even more special as the weather changes from hot to chilly. You’ll want to wrap yourself up on the couch with this book (and some lovely apple cinnamon or earl gray tea made with a tea ball — page 108!), but make sure you have a pen and paper handy because before you know it, you’ll be planning meals, trips to the grocery stores and you’ll be excited to make over your kitchen and create a guest list so you can share some of these amazing recipes! This book has everything you need to make the inside of your home, and your belly, very happy during this beautiful time of year. Susan will walk you through the “Autumn Arts” which includes wonderful tips for entertaining, decorating and how to make your home welcoming through easy embroidery gifts and decorations, cocoa cups, cookie baskets and the adorable “sniffle basket” for those who fall under the weather. For the kids, Susan provides a great “Halloween Punch” (page 118), and for our football fans, “Touchdown Chili!” (page 78) She even gives us some “secret weapons” for Thanksgiving Dinner! And who doesn’t want Susan in her corner for Thanksgiving Dinner? The tips are great, and sure to help. Finally, as if that wasn’t enough, Susan has created some pretty incredible recipes all the way from appetizers & finger foods to mouth watering hearty meals and delicious desserts. I would be lying if I didn’t say that I have thoroughly enjoyed reviewing this part of the book! My husband and I have had a great time with a few recipes, our favorite being the Braised Lamb Shanks on page 76. My husband loves making lamb, and he loved this recipe! It’s not nearly as complicated as some of the recipes he’s tried in the past, yet it was every...
Read MoreAn Interview with Susan Branch
I first became aware of Susan’s work about 10 years ago when I saw this adorable Christmas keepsake book (pictured on the bottom in the picture to the left) in a quiet little bookstore in New York City. Even while living in the city, I always wanted to make sure I created a “home” in my little apartment, and the book just called out to me. I loved the writing, the font (or what I thought was the font, turns out it’s Susan’s hand-writing!), the cover of the book and the immediate comfort the book gave me. So I bought it. Then I checked out her website, www.susanbranch.com and I bought more books. When we started Better Way Moms, one of the things we wanted to emphasize was how important it is that women use their talents, and that we guide women through the process of creating their own small businesses. Susan came to mind immediately for me. I was so grateful (and even a little bit nervous) when she agreed to an interview for the site! She is delightful, full of inspiration and ideas for women and a true example of what’s possible when we believe in ourselves. I called Susan on a rainy afternoon, and was both surprised and pleased when she started out the conversation by saying, “I love your website. I think it’s a great thing, because I do see that moms get that alone feeling a lot. So it’s really nice to see that some one is out there making sure they feel and know that they’re normal.” Sarah: Wow, thank you. We think it’s pretty important. And it means a lot that you do too. Susan: Being a mom takes over your entire life. Because I was the oldest of eight, I got to raise kids right away. We had a baby every two years as I was growing up, so I really got a great opportunity to see exactly what it’s like. My parents were living in the 1950’s, so they had that whole “woman thing” “man thing.” He went to work and she stayed home. And my mother loved it. She was fine with it through the whole ordeal. She was just terrific. And thank god that she was like that because it was a true gift to us that she was such a great mom. But I thought, “Oh my...
Read MoreSusan Boyle’s Moment
I’m sure you’ve all heard about Susan Boyle by now. You know, the woman who got up in front of Britain (and before she knew it, the world), to sing on the show “Britain’s Got Talent?” If you haven’t, I really urge you to take a moment to watch this video. I’ve seen it I don’t know how many times, and I still well up with tears every time: Susan Boyle’s YouTube Audition So what has made this woman such a phenomenon? Why are people watching this over and over again? I think it’s the instant, visual, living, breathing example of the power of being true to one’s self. For me, when I watch the audience in the video roll their eyes at her dream, make fun of her and think that she is out of her mind to think that she has a chance at being a professional singer, I can’t help but think of how many times other peoples’ opinions have stopped me from doing what I love. But Susan doesn’t allow it to stop her. Sure, she is clearly nervous and anxious. But she stands there in the face of snickers, doubt, mockery, cynicism and her own nerves. She takes it all. She opens her mouth. And she sings anyway. To watch the transformation, no the revolution, that takes place the second the audience hears her voice is so moving to me that I almost don’t know how to describe it. There are so few moments in life where we get to actually watch greatness take over and beat out ugliness and doubt. This is one of those moments. I find it magical. The magic to me is that she had the courage to open her mouth and do what she loves — in the face of ridicule, naysayers and fear — and the world fell in love with her. We can’t help but be attracted to people who are being true to themselves. It’s part of our human nature. And as the audience leaps to its feet and the tide turns from cynicism to encouragement, support and awe, Susan’s voice gets stronger. It’s a visible transformation. I believe this is what happens when we are doing what we love. Support and energy naturally come our way. It can’t be any other way. Watch the audience reaction when Susan starts singing, they can’t help but leap to...
Read MoreGreat Courses
Below are a few links to great courses that help people really dig in and find out what they love. Some are expensive, some are not. All of them do a great job. I will add to this list as I find more. Suggestions are welcome! Amazing Life Design Amazing Life Design was founded by Jim Pehkonen, a self-described “Life Architect” (such a fun title, no?). His courses are designed to help other people design their lives, their passions and their work. You can check out his website here: www.amazinglifedesign.com Here’s a short description of Jim and how he works: His playful, adventurous spirit makes even the most arduous personal work inspiring and fun! Using creative, cutting-edge coaching strategies, Jim guides individuals, entrepreneurs, employees, and executives to create winning systems and quantum results that leave them happier, more alive and more abundant then they’ve ever known. Millionaire Mind Intensive The Millionaire Mind Intensive is available through a company called Peak Potentials. It was founded by T. Harv Eker, the author of Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth. This first course is free, and you will learn a lot about what it takes to become financially free so you can pursue your passions. It’s a great course, and you can register for it (again, for free), here: www.millionairemind.com. There are many other courses offered by this company, Peak Potentials. They are expensive, make no bones about it. But they are pretty incredible in what they have to offer. I’ve taken a few of their courses and I find them really worthwhile. I signed up to be an ambassador to the courses, so if you do choose to register, please present this code: 580606. My favorite course is called “Life Directions Intensive“, which assists participants in really figuring out their passion and constructing a way to use that passion while helping others and making money at the same time. If you can afford it, it’s worth every penny. Talk to People You Know Call or e-mail people you know that have been successful. You will be amazed at how much they will actually want to share with you. Most successful people are successful exactly because they understand that generosity and kindness are what usually win out. Don’t be shy. You have one shot at this life, and you may as well use it to make yourself...
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