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By Elaine, March 8, 2010 7:53 am

March 8th is a special day….a day that has been celebrated  annually since 1911…it is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.

It is International Women’s day and I will be celebrating at the KV Networks 5th annual
International Women’s Day Breakfast this morning. I am excited to hear this years guest speaker Mary Schryer . She is the MLA for Quispamsis and the Minister responsible for the Status of Women.

This day is a celebration of achievements…of  moving  towards equality…making the world a better place for everyone.

It is hard to believe that just last night Kathryn Bigelow made the Oscar history books by taking home the Oscar for best Director….can you imagine…

How many other firsts are we still waiting to achieve?

This is not a day about feminism…it is a day to celebrate Women, our accomplishments and contributions.

I would like to share this article by Jennifer Parmalee who cites this startling statistic “Worldwide, women and girls bear the brunt of poverty, hunger and discrimination, comprising more than 60 percent of the world’s chronically hungry – now charted at a record one billion people. Inherited hunger – when malnourished mothers give birth to malnourished children – is a huge obstacle to development, from Afghanistan to Haiti.”

So I ask again….How are you Celebrating International Women’s Day?

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By Elaine, February 15, 2010 8:14 am

I was warned that this would happen…

People told me to be prepared…

Well that day has come…

I woke up this morning and the creative well is dry, it is shriveled up,  I don’t have one thing that I feel like writing about. The productivity of the past few months is fading fast.

Could it be that I have hit a creative wall?

Did the ups and mostly downs of the past 7 days finally take their toll?

Oh my…will the thrill of writing these posts and feeling the words flow seamlessly out of my fingertips on to the virtual paper come back to me?

I am sure that tomorrow or even later today I will feel inspired…I Hope!

How do you handle creative dry spells? What techniques do you use during the creative times to help with the not so creative days? Please share.

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By Elaine, February 8, 2010 10:10 am

If it isn’t a chicken perhaps it is a shiny object. Or maybe its the telephone or the sound of the e-mails as they are arriving or the Crackberry that rings non stop or the mess on the desk that is calling you….oh there are so many distractions.

How do you ever expect to accomplish anything today?

Today I speak from experience and I want to help you.

I am highly distractable and I have a very long list of things I want to accomplish in my lifetime.

Knowing that these two things cannot co-exist I had to do something… and I did.

I put the distractions in their place by eliminating some of them and minimizing others, here are some ideas you can implement today to banish the chicken or at least minimize the damage;

• get call display on all your phones and only answer the urgent ones.
• turn the e-mail notification noise off.
• move all the work clutter you are not currently working on out of sight.
• take the crackberry off your hip and turn it off while working on important stuff
• for some more examples of potential distractions visit my previous post on Time Hijackers

I know this is not rocket science it is common sense, sometimes you just need someone to point you in the right direction….or call you on your stuff!

A shout out to  James at Men with Pens who inspired today’s post, thanks James for sharing and being real.

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By Elaine, February 2, 2010 9:15 am

If you ask anyone that knows me really well… TODAY they will say that I am a Ready, Fire, Aim kinda gal….Well it has not always been that way. They will probably say that I have no fear and really do Take Charge! in my life….

It was not always so…and how does someone go from having a difficult time with decisions, becoming stuck at every turn and letting great things pass you by because you were waiting for the PERFECT time to do something….to someone who jumps at opportunities and loves challenges.

Life happens….and I am sure it happens to everyone at some point or another…mine happened one day when I could not live the life I had and wanted something different…but I did not know that yet.

I had to put the need for perfection into perspective, I had to stop being afraid and lastly I had to stop procrastinating. Procrastination is essentially postponed decisions…the last step in my evolution was to start making decisions, decisions that are right for me…and not being afraid of mistakes….

For more information on Procrastination please read this awesome article by Monica Ricci.

Finally be honest with yourself today….what decisions are you postponing and if you took a stand and made the decision where would that road lead to?

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By Elaine, January 25, 2010 6:59 am

Today while catching up on several blogs and cleaning out my in-box I was struck by a very simple message from a hard working guy,Gary Vaynerchuk , a guy who says what he means and means what he says…and these 9 words he said hit me like an ICEBERG…”HARD WORK is never not part of the formula”.

I got a visual on this very simple message right away and it was an ICEBERG. Typically only one-tenth of the volume of an iceberg is above water…that means that the 9/10 that is unseen is holding up that 1/10 that you do see…now lets compare this to the amount of work that goes into an “Overnight SUCCESS”.

Investigate any of the so called overnight successes and you will find the story behind the story;

Lady Gaga started playing piano at 4, writing songs at 13, playing in bars at 16, was rejected more times than she can count and never gave up. At 23 she is an Overnight Success!

Adam Lambert has been a stage actor since 10, at age 20 he was acting in musicals and in 2005 started his music career. In 2009 at age 27 he was runner up for American Idol…another overnight SUCCESS!

In 1990 Jack Canfield shared his vision for the Chicken Soup Series with Mark Victor Hansen, which he had been contemplating for years. After 3 years of compiling stories the first book was published and October of 1993 hit the best seller list. Was this another instance of overnight SUCCESS?

Do I need to continue..I think you get what I am saying!

Next time the little green monster shows up when discussing someone else in regards to their Overnight SUCCESSs..think about that Iceberg and that fact that you have only seen 1/10 of what that person did to get to where they are and then ask yourself if you are willing to do the HARD WORK necessary to be an Overnight SUCCESS.

Again, I would like to thank Gary Vee who’s latest post  inspired me on this post…OH, by the way you are seeing 1/10 th of the work that was put into what you are reading…

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By Elaine, January 19, 2010 10:48 am

This very cute video is courtesy of  fellow Professional Organiser Wendy Davie (spelled with an s because she is from the land down under).  Wendy has found her inner Speilberg  and created this very cute Wall-E type video about “What a “Professional Organizer” does for a living”. I could not have said it better myself.

Enjoy….

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By Elaine, January 14, 2010 1:21 pm

Do you ever wonder why you feel soooo welcomed and warm when you enter some spaces and others repel you like  smelly cheese?

I used to ponder this phenomenon until I started my life as a “Professional Organizer”.

After many years of clearing clutter it is now very clear to me.

Clutter = Stuck Energy

This is a concept that crosses many industries and philosophies. For the past 7 years as a Professional Organizer I have helped hundreds of people reclaim their homes, offices and their lives from the clutches of clutter. I have witnessed first hand how paralyzing clutter is for people. It distorts our ability to view our life…and to move forward to the life we desire.

I have also been blessed with the opportunity to see how making small incremental changes to remove clutter can suddenly open up the flow of energy or Qi as it is called in Feng Shui. It is like breathing energy into the space or situation.

Take a moment today to look at and really feel what is going on in your space and be honest about what kind of energy is present or not.

By removing things that you no longer need, use or want you will make space for things you do need, use and want to come to you!

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By Elaine, January 13, 2010 9:35 am

Everything is not fine…from the outside it is all puppy dogs and white picket fences but when you start to dig a bit deeper….cutting through the surface…there is a problem…a big problem.

This show really got to me. It got to me in a way that we all need to be gotten to. We need to get disturbed…there is a dark problem cloaking our continent.

It is “The Disconnection of the Family”.

It is hard to say how or when it all began but people we have a problem…and Peter Walsh, life organizational expert, and OPRAH brought it front and center for everyone to see, and I am grateful to both of them for addressing the elephant in the room.

We are drowning in stuff, our schedules are so filled up that we don’t have time to think about the fact that we are so disconnected and most importantly we are AFRAID.

When we stop communicating (IN PERSON) we don’t have to address the real issues.

•    The real reason the house is a mess.
•    The real reason that we are so busy that we don’t have meals together.
•    The real reason our children are out of control.
•    The real reason our relationships are completely disconnected.
•    The real reason resentment and anger has clouded our relationships.

So what are we afraid of…as Peter said “if you open that door it may get horrible”?

It is horrible. We are afraid of admitting that all the stuff and the busy schedules are making us miserable and we don’t know how to get HAPPY back…

Well Peter Walsh has an answer and if you are willing to do the work you can get your “FAMILY” back.

Here is a summary of the “Stripped Down” Challenge. To strip down means to lose anything preventing you from living your best life.

1.       No cell phones or texting
2.       No electronics (e-mail, computers, iPod, TV, microwave, etc)
3.       Prepare and eat healthy meals together
4.       Clean and organize the house
5.       Family must hug and say “I love you” to each other at least one a day

The family that Peter worked with took the one week challenge and in that short span of time the youngest boy had a dramatic change in behavior…to the good.  The oldest boy realized that he did not need to text 7000-10000 times per month. The couple had an aha moment when they realized that she was feeling guilt over not contributing financially to the family and he was afraid that he was not doing enough for the family. All of this happened when the lines of communication were opened…not through a cell phone or a text…but through one to one communication….yes people…they talked.

Take this challenge and make it your own. Place boundaries on the times that you do not use electronics such as at meals times and before school in the am. Pick a game night and enjoy each other. Have 3-4 healthy meal nights per week where the kitchen is the hub of activity and everyone shares the fruits of their labors together. Please…take the time and get your home organized and clean. To quote Peter, “If your home does not bring you peace and harmony where are you getting it from”.  The last one is so critical…tell your family you love them and connect with a hug….who doesn’t love a good hug.

Wake up…we need to help each other. The African proverb made famous by Hillary Clinton “It takes a village to raise a child” is so appropriate for our times. I would also like to add this to it “and in order to get plugged in to our family in a way that connects our souls we need to UnPLUG”.

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By Elaine, October 7, 2009 9:50 am

I love doing things for the first time… today is my first time with a guest post.
Let me introduce Josh Hanagarne, World’s Strongest Librarian who I had the pleasure of meeting in September through another blog I read , Men with Pens. I immediately wanted to know more about Josh and his amazing story. My goal with this blog is to help you to Take Charge! and get rid of what’s holding you back….well I think Josh’s story will help get you back in the drivers seat… it did for me. Enjoy!

The World's Strongest Librarian

Everyone has times when they hurt.  Everyone has moments that feel intolerable. Unbearable. And yet, what feels like the breaking point is seldom anything of the kind. How can I say this? Because unless you’re breaking point kills you, it was bearable.

What do you know about it?

When I was 20 years old, my body and brain betrayed me. I was walking down the street in Washington D.C. when suddenly I hit myself in the face with all the strength I had. This did not endear me to the other people on the street.

But they weren’t nearly as surprised as I was.

About ten years before that, I had been diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome. Whatever you know or have heard about TS, it boils down to two things:

1. It makes you move involuntarily
2. It makes you vocalize involuntarily

During my teenage years, my symptoms were very mild. Lots of throat clearing, blinking, mild twitches, etc. It actually made me more interesting to people. What attention-hungry teen doesn’t like having a built in icebreaker?

Things Fall Apart

After that first punch, things never settled down again. The opposite, in fact. I screamed every 2-3 seconds involuntarily, remember until I got a hernia.  I hurt myself constantly. I couldn’t go outside. I couldn’t attend school. I was smart and competent and had all the potential in the world, but no hope.

A decade passed in this manner. Finally I got so furious with the situation that I said, “I do not care what I look like, I am going back out in public.”

And I did. And it was miserable for a while.

Two Reactions

There are two things people usually feel when I tell this story. I don’t necessarily want you to feel either one, but I’m going to tell you what the normal reactions are:

1. Wow, how inspiring!
2. I could never deal with that. How does he do it?

Inspiration

The reason I don’t intend for this story to inspire is because all I did is what everyone does when they’re dealt a bad hand.

I survived.

And while I survived, I figured out how to fight. But it took a long time. For too many years, I made the choice to mope and mourn. I didn’t struggle.  I didn’t press on. I curled up in my bed and felt sorry for myself.

How much time did I waste? How many minutes that I can’t get back? I am happy that people appreciate this story. Just bear in mind that I took far too long in resisting. I was willing to be the victim for far too long.

As to point two: maybe you couldn’t deal with it, but you don’t have to. That’s the point. You have your own pain to deal with. You have your own , where is the hardest thing in your life.

And like me, you have a choice. Do you mope or do you take charge? Do you fight or do you watch the sand run out of the hourglass?

Life it too short to deal with on its terms. Make it deal with you. Do not wait. Make a change today. If you are in a situation you cannot control, introduce something that you can control and get yourself some wins.

You’ll be glad you did.

Things are never so bad that they can’t improve.

You always have a choice. You can always choose how you react. You can always control your mind and master your perceptions.

You are not the passenger, you are the driver.

Always.

Josh The World's Strongest Librarian

About the Author: Josh Hanagarne is the twitchy giant behind World’s Strongest Librarian, a blog about living with Tourette’s Syndrome, book recommendations, buying pants when you’re 68, old-time strongman training, and much more. Please subscribe to Josh’s RSS Updates to stay in touch.

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By Elaine, October 1, 2009 2:56 pm

I am normally an energetic, enthusiastic WAHM(work at home mom) that lives on this side of optimism…rolling along with whatever comes my way and always seeing the bright sunny side to every situation.

OK…not so much lately…I have been a real Bitch…I could have used a different word or perhaps put symbols for the letters but it would not convey how I have been acting and feeling….Just ask my family… I am not me, and it has really been bothering me…not losing sleep bothering me, but a Bitchy bothering. I went through this checklist, much like Santa does just before sending out those goodies.

PMS - on certain days but not for a whole month or two!

The Scream by Edvard Munsch

Perimenopause – Could be, I am at that ripe age for this.

Depression - Been there, done that, not all the right symptoms.

I could not figure it out…and believe me after years of being in a fog I needed to figure it out!

Then…while catching up on some blog reading and more blog reading, I ended up here http://wahmbizbuilde.com/ and OMG… the answer to my angst was right there in front of me… I was thinking to myself “was she thinking of me as she wrote those words, was she watching me, did she know of my plight personally,are there other people like me”….it was as if the words were there just for me.

And there it was in a funny”Law of Attraction” kind of way, the answer found me… I had my explanation for this “situation“.  This is what I found.

“One of the biggest issues facing you as a work-at-home mom is the potential for burnout. You thought it would be easier to work from home, but why do you feel so exhausted all the time?

When you have to run around frantically every day to keep your business going, take care of your home and try to fit in family time, you’re stressed and unhappy. And you eventually burn out….”

Ok… so now I know that I am not going crazy or slipping into a vortex of depression… yahoo…wait… is that some enthusiasm slippping out… now that I have named it and claimed it, what next?

Time to pull out the strategy tool box, so here are my old stand-bys. Taking a daily walk, visiting my parents in the country (doing that this weekend), decluttering anything (I find this therapeutic)… and finally getting out of my house and seeing real people… I did that last night at the Red Whale with some other business WOMEN. This last one has not been an issue until recently, over the past 2 years I am spending less time with people and more time working on product so I am tied to the computer more that I am used to.

I love to teach others and I constantly take life situations and turn them into a classroom… my kids will attest to that…I drive them crazy with the life lessons.

Did you know there are over 900,000 self employed women in Canada, this is a 2007 statistic,  imagine what the global numbers would be today! I am part of a growing global trend , this is not a decision I made lightly and do not take it lightly or for one moment do I regret it… I would not change it for anything. However, there are times when you just need some help.

This is where the teaching and for me… learning part comes in. I will put my student hat on and would love for you to be the teacher.

Would you please share your SUCCESS strategies for dealing with WAHM burnout. Not just for me but for all the WAHM’s out there just like me who need a little help… to quote one of my all time favourite bands….

I get by with a little help from my friends…