Getting to Know Who You Are

So many things to be thankful for! My book continues to sell, and I've gotten feedback from women who say it has made a difference in their lives. It's always gratifying when someone buys a book, then comes back later wanting to buy more copies for their friends.

I'm convinced that if we don't explore who we are--our personality, our strengths, our gifts--all the things that make us who we are--we will feel incomplete. When we tap in to who we really are, we are able to share our greatest gifts with others. We can truly make the world a better place.

Go out and do great things!

Paris Fever

This was supposed to be our year to go to France. However, my knee gave out, requiring surgery, and that has caused us to postpone our trip to next summer. We could complain and whine, but instead, we choose to look for the gift in the disappointment. It would have been so much worse for the knee to go while on our trip! Wisely, we had purchased trip insurance, so most of the money has been reimbursed to us.

 

Another thing to be thankful for is that this gives us another year to study French. What if we could walk into this Parisian restaurant and actually be able to comprehend the menu and order accordingly. (Being able to pay for it is a subject for another time!) Our French is pretty weak right now so we are considering hiring a private tutor, and we have already made contact with a couple of students at the local university who speak French. Maybe for a home-cooked meal they would be willing to give a little language lesson and have a brief conversation in French .

This incident makes me wonder how many times in the past I've missed the blessing in a disappointment. It's often difficult to see beyond the immediate circumstance and look for a silver lining. I'm convinced, though, that it makes life richer when we can do so.



Authentic Success How to's

I spend a lot of time thinking about success and what that means to different people. With a business called "Authentic Success," it makes sense that it would be on my mind all day. I named my life coaching/writing/speaking business Authentic Success because I found that many women don't seem to have an understanding of what they truly want out of life and I want to help change that.

We are wired to be successful, but often we don't take the time to question what that success should look like. Most of us know that true success is not measured by how much money we have, although when we use it wisely having money lets us do things that make the world a better place. But how can we decide what we really want to do with our lives?

Here are some questions that can help--
  What are you passionate about?
  What problem keeps you awake at night?
  How would you like to improve your world?
  What do you love to do (when you're doing it, time seems to fly)?
  What are you good at?
  What does the world need more of?

What else? Leave a comment telling us how you decide what to do with your life.

Perspective

So much has been said, written, scrutinized, lamented, etc. about the present economy, but it's interesting to see different perspectives on the times we live in.

We know this is a difficult time for many business owners, yet several business gurus (especially for online businesses) are saying this is the perfect opportunity for starting a new business. Perspective.

Living in the NM high desert has given me a different way of looking at life than when I lived in the emerald forests of Atlanta. When things look bleak on the ground here (brown has never been a favorite color for me), I choose to look to the skies which are a brilliant blue about 360 days of the year.

It's not just a Pollyanna approach to life, it's a way of clearing my mind so I can think more clearly about what I need to do. A depressed mind hijacks creativity and solution finding.

So look around you, look up, look far and near for the next step you can take to make your life all it can be.

What's your take on perspective? Leave your comments and join the conversation!

It's Available!

My book, The Authentic You: Becoming the Woman You Were Created to Be is now available!

Written to help women understand who they are and become even more than they thought they could be, it challenges readers to live intentionally, step up to big thinking, and make a positive difference in the world.

This faith-based book makes a great study for book clubs or for individuals to read on their own. Questions and activities at the end of each chapter help you in your journey of self-discovery.

Check it out on Amazon.com or contact me for more information. And if you like what you see, I'd love for you to write a review on Amazon.

Go out and do great things!

Creating Your Own Life Story

(Photo of Arizona petroglyphs by Anita Lee)

I was reading some materials the other day from Dr. Dave Krueger (mentorpath.com) on creating a New Life Story, and I was reminded of how many times I've heard my coaching clients and others talking about wanting to do something beyond their grasp, knowing they couldn't do it. When I ask why they think they couldn't do it they admit to being stopped by voices emerging from the past telling them they aren't good enough.

I call this, "letting someone else write your autobiography." An autobiography is supposed to be written by the person who lived that life. (Yes, I know, many celebrities have had ghost writers step in to do the actual writing. I once heard a famous football player tell a reporter that he was misquoted in a recent book--which was an autobiography of the player! Oops.)

When it comes to deciding what our lives should look like, we have many choices. We can continue to live the way we always have, we can look around us and wish we could live like someone we admire, or we can take steps to become the person we were created to be.

It is our responsibility to create a masterpiece of our lives. We've been given all the right materials, but too often we're afraid to imagine who we could be and what we could do for others in the process. We're afraid to take even the first step toward becoming that masterpiece. "What if I fail?" "What if I look foolish in the process?" "What if..." There's no end to the "What if's."

How about asking, "What do I really want to do at this stage of my life?" "What are my gifts, abilities, and interests that can make a positive difference?"

A world of opportunities awaits us when we ask the right questions.

I'd love to hear what your aspirations are. By your sharing, you will impact the lives of others.

What's New with Me

Wow, time sure flies, whether you're having fun or not. Actually, I have been having fun, but it's been wayyyyy too long since I blogged. So much to do, so little time--or is it that I don't use my time as wisely as I should? I'm sure I'm the only one who has that problem.

So, I'm trying to be true to my own teachings. It seems like the authentic thing to do--and I'm all about authenticity. I will soon launch my new website that will tell more about what I do to help women solo-preneurs and other professionals get out of their own way to attain success--their Authentic Success. By going to my website and signing up for my newsletter, you will soon get the added benefit of an overview of my "7 Keys to Authentic Success" system. I'm developing the various parts of this system to address different learning styles as well as time and financial capabilities of those who might be interested. Stay tuned!

Also, I'm closer to getting my book published. As some of you know, I had a contract with a traditional publisher for The Authentic You: Becoming the Woman You Were Created to Be. Unfortunately, when the economy tanked, my project (along with others) was dropped. Since then I have been exploring other options and am proud to say I expect this book to be out by January 2011. I am ready, willing and able to speak to groups of any size to get the word out that every woman is created to do great things with her life. Some will do it quietly and others will shout out loud. But when we are true to who we've been created to be, we will make a positive difference in the world and we will recognize our true worth.

I hope you've taken some time to pause and reflect on where you are in life and where you're headed. I do that best in places like the one pictured here. What about you?