An Invincible Summer - A Woman's Journey

I love the smarts I have in my area of expertise. My business has slowly and steadily grown over the last 24 years....luck and hard work. I attempt to keep myself up-to-date with the latest and greatest and I rely heavily on the past to populate the work related conversations that arise both in business and socially. I enjoy terms like optimal demographics, increased ROI, advanced data  analytics  and multi-channel marketing. Professional fortitude does not necessarily translate into personal confidence. The tools needed to foster that are much more complex and far more elusive. The book The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz, was the start of a new way of thinking that has helped encourage basic change in how I feel.  Number 2 - Don’t take anything personally, was huge!! In addition to that I try strengthen my relationship with myself and deepen my personal power and self knowledge with the following: 1.     Loving and accepting who we a...

I mess up, screw up, make huge mistakes and make mountains out of molehills. I believe the lies my thoughts tell me, I succumb to the fear, overreact, ignore and punish. I do that but that is not me. I am a good person (or at least I try very hard) who does those things on occasion, who messes up in a big way but gets up, brushes myself off and then tries again and again and again. There is improvement and that is what my focus needs to be. Getting better, being kinder, not believing the lies, taking responsibility for my own feelings, counting to 10, working through the fear. I have the tools that would enable me to do this. #1 lesson ignored this weekend was "Take Nothing Personally. #2 lesson ignored "No Expectations". Those would have helped. There are more....lots more. This weekend there was a big curve in the road. Unfortunate but true. I lost it, big time! Later (too late), I had time to reflect. Next time, hopefully, reflection will come sooner; before ...

Being a "victim" can be a way of life for many. In our society, we are adept at assigning blame and making excuses for almost anything. Some adopt this coping mechanism because they are uncomfortable with their own anger. There are also those who feel inadequate and swamped by events. Many harbor a childish belief that the world should be fair, using their early helplessness and applying it to the here and now, keeping them paralyzed from making changes in their reactions. Sadly, there are benefits to the role of victim.  Victims often know who to approach to get attention and validation. If they don't receive it from one they easily move to the next person who "understands" their situation.  Victims don't have to take chances. Life happens to them, they don't make life happen. They often avoid big responsibilities. Blaming others instead of taking their own inventory. The victim gets gratification from being "right" when others do ...