Negotiation : Toddler Style

by

My daughter is ready to grow up. She’s in a hurry to be a pre -schooler. Whenever I drop her brother off at school, she pulls out the chair at the table by the door and sits down and starts flipping through books. That’s only on the days that she doesn’t just run right in and attempt to join the class for circle time. Her little plan is working. She’s won the hearts of my son’s teachers. They can’t get enough of her. His classmates all know her by name and love to play with her after school. She fits right in with those four year old’s. She’s not even two yet.

Recently, I picked her brother up from school and she ran in the class like she loves to do. I was talking to the teacher and she ran to play with the toys. She immediately fell in love with a stroller they had. She’s wanted one for a while now. I meant to get her one for Christmas but, I totally forgot. When it was time to go, I asked her to put the stroller back and she took off running with it. She was blazing down the sidewalk with the stroller! I got her to get it back in the classroom and had to peel her little fingers off of it, one by one. She crumbled. I felt so bad because I know she loves strollers! She was so mad that she went to the teacher to be consoled – crying her eyes out. My son’s teacher saw just how much my baby girl wanted that stroller and cleaned it off and gave it to her.

Stroller Camesha GoshaShe has been glued to that thing ever since. It’s the first thing she wants to play with in the morning and the last thing she plays with before she goes to bed. What can I say? She knows how to get what she wants. Need a little help getting what you want? Take these tips from my daughter.

1 -Ask for what you want

2 – Cozy up to the right people (tears may be required ;))

3 – Don’t go down without a fight

4 – Demand what you want

5 – Once you get it, ENJOY! – You’ve earned it!

Once again, I’ve learned way too much from my kids. They are great reminders for me about living life fully. What do you think of these negotiating tactics? Would this work to get you closer to what you want? Tell me in the comments!

And then I said “Why Not?”

by

It took becoming a mom for me to greet life with a “why not?”.

My son just does stuff. He thinks it and he does it. He is just completely open to life. The kid has never met a stranger (we’re working on that). He walks into a room full of kids and his response is “hey guys!”. He’s always open to new people and new experiences. I love that about him. I love that I have become more like him. Isn’t it funny that I became more like him? I admire his open approach to life. I know that it’s because everything is new to him. He’s only four and so much of life is a mystery to him. He is not afraid of the mystery though. Instead he welcomes it. Isn’t it awesome how kids make you see things differently?

kid-president-1 I have to say that since becoming a mother, I have noticed that I’m far more open as well. Whether that means sharing my experiences or speaking up when opportunities are in front of me. I had one of those moments recently. There was a woman I saw on television. Her missions and goals directly lined up with mine. I saw an opportunity to reach out and I did.

In times past, I would have been to shy to reach out – even on line. The mama version of me has an attitude of “why not?”  So, I found an email and reached out. It felt so good to hit “send” on that message. It was yet another reminder for me of my growth. Reaching out to her falls right in line with my mission to inspire and motivate moms to find and follow their passions. It felt right. It would be great if a connection is formed because of my willingness to reach out. Even if it leads to nothing at all, it’s a step for me.  It doesn’t matter what happens from here. The success for me is in making the move, taking the step.

And that is how I’ll keep working toward making my dreams come true. Whether they be giant steps or baby steps – the thing is, keep moving! And to think all of this new found boldness started because of a little kid – mine.

How have your kids changed you? What have you said “why not” to lately?

Update 4/23/14 12:57pm PST: The woman I sent the email to responded! You’ll be hearing more about her next month! Excited!

Putting the Pieces Together – Guilt Free

by

There is a lot I want out of this life. A lot. As I work to put the pieces together, I sometimes give myself a hard time about what I’m able to do. Sure, being a mom of two kids and a wife to my honey makes things all kinds of challenging. The kids require and are totally entitled to my full attention. They’re young (4 and nearly 2) and love their mommy time! I find ways to balance my snuggles with them and my time on this laptop. It’s a dance. What I know though is if mama is happy, my babies will be happy. That keeps me going toward all the things that help my happy.

There are several things in the works but when I can’t get them done as fast as I would like, I tend to be really hard on myself. I’m learning to give myself a break. I can feel good about doing what I can do, when I can do it. It’s no secret that I can’t go after my dreams the same way I could when I was single. That doesn’t mean I can’t go after them though. Honestly, the single version of me had completely different dreams anyway. The single version of me was younger with more energy too! LOL!

The only personI just have to go about my dreams and passions in a different way, at a different pace. I’m cool with that.  To get things done, I make a small list for the day.When I say small, I’m talking one or two things to accomplish once the kids go to bed. Once I get those things done, I feel like I’ve been successful. If I do more than what’s on that list – cupcakes for everyone! Whoot whoot! I don’t overcrowd my list with so many things that I make my success seem impossible. I like a challenge, but I’m not a fan of self sabotage!. That’s not fair to me. I always have to be fair to me, right?

That’s how I carve out time for my dream building. How about you? Am I the only one guilty of being WAY too hard on myself?

You only THINK you can’t

by

What is it you think you CAN’T do? Is there some idea, some nagging thoughts you’ve been talking yourself out of? That thing that keeps coming back and keeps being put off… yeah, you should probably do something about that. If your DREAMS

We all have our reasons for why we can’t do whatever it is we really want to do. It’s like the more we want it, the more reasons we have for why we can’t do it. Isn’t it crazy how that happens? I am definitely guilty of that. In the last few years I’ve changed that. I’ve been more about going for it! It’s the whole idea of knowing that all we really have is right here and right now so putting thing off for someday really doesn’t make sense. I had to learn this hard truth:

There are 7Can you say OUCH!?!?

Well, no matter your reason for talking yourself out of “it”. Whatever “it” is. Let these fun facts give you a nudge in a right direction. Know that what you want – is totally possible!

  • Beethoven’s music teacher once said of him, “As a composer, he is hopeless”.
  • Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.
  • Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper because he “lacked imagination, and had no good ideas”.
  • Thomas Edison’s teacher told him he was too stupid to learn anything. Later, he tried 1,600 different materials before settling on carbon as the filament for the electric light bulb.

Seriously, anything is possible!

Wanna Feel Good? Start Here…

by

When it comes to feeling good, we all want piece of that! While I am a firm believer in going after your dreams, I know that isn’t always easy. Sometimes we don’t go after what we want because we don’t feel like we’re worth it or we just don’t feel good. I think it’s important to work on ourselves from the inside out. Before we can take that first full step toward something we really want, sometimes we need to stand still.

Going for your dreams really means that you’ve decided to do something for you. You’ve decided to listen to that small voice and make your unique contribution to the world. Before your journey onto doing that BIG thing for you, try doing a few small things. It will get your mind in the right spot and get you ready to make your move toward the big thing.

Consider this your invitation to FEEL GOOD!  Here are a few suggestions to get your feel good mojo moving:

Take a drive… Crank your favorite song and sing along – LOUD!

This one works for me EVERY TIME!

 

Go for a walk…Notice all the little things. I bet you’ll find some inspiration.

Try something new with your hair… A new outlook sometimes starts with a new look.

new hairSelf care anyone… How about getting a mani or pedi? Letting someone take care of you encourages you to keep it up and take better care of you too.

Put on something that makes you feel good… That could be a favorite blouse, dress or  jeans. Ahem,  it could also be what you put on underneath it all.  Whatever makes you feel good, ROCK it! You’ll feel good and the reason why can be your little secret.

What gives you an instant shot of feel good?

Dusting off the To-Do List

by

Spring is FINALLY here! I know so many people have been looking forward to the warmer weather (I’m looking at you east coast). Here in L.A., it’s been Spring-like for a while but I’m still super excited about the change in seasons. Longer days, more time out enjoying the city with the family and the clothes! I’m a sucker for warm weather fashion. There’s something about lighter fabrics, strappy sandals and sundresses. That just may be my idea of heaven.

Spring-Is-The-Time-Of-Plans-And-ProjectsI see Spring as a bit of a fresh start. It like New Year 2.0. There’s all of this energy and excitement  for what’s to come. From the anticipation of Summer to Spring blooms, it’s like we all find something to look forward to again. Even if those New Year’s resolutions are now collecting a bit of dust, Spring gives us the nod to sweep off the dust and start again. Personally, I think we’d all get more done and stick to our resolutions if the new year started in Spring or Summer anyway, right?  The grey days of Winter can make it hard to stay committed to anything but comfort food. LOL!

not salmonFor this faux New Year, I’m going to take the opportunity to finish a guide I’ve been writing. It’s all about taking care of the dreamer’s inside us as mother’s! I’ll keep you posted on that one! Do you make any fresh starts during Spring? How about taking a minute to make some promises to yourself. Let the warmer weather be your motivation to keep them!

 

Dream Now, Live Later?

by

On a recent trip to Target (seriously, I spend WAY too much time there), I stopped by the cards section and noticed a card about living the life you deserve. I was all offended. Yeah, the idea of it all was nice but this card was in the retirement section.

retirement ecard

It made me think about the way things usually go. People work all of their lives toward that pie in the sky called retirement. That’s supposed to be when you are really able to live and enjoy life. It seems to me that doesn’t work. If we wait until retirement to enjoy life, we’ve already missed so much. For my generation, retirement seems SO far away. We are going to need millions to be able to live comfortably. Some people fully expect to work until they are 70 years old.

Yes, at 70 years old is when you can begin to enjoy and life the life of your dreams. For most people, 70 years old finds them tired and many have health issues. How much energy do you really have at that point to travel, pursue your passions and “enjoy life”? Yes, that card had ALL of this racing through my head. It seemed to suggest a “dream now, live later” life. I am fully on board with a “dream NOW and do it NOW” way of life. (tweet this) I have all of these ideas and desires for my life NOW. I can’t get to every single thing right now but I’m determined to do as much as I can.

By the time I’m 70 I want to be still enjoying my life but I really want to be at a point where I’m not chasing myself and trying to do things that I’ve wanted to do my whole life. I’d rather that time be spent still pursuing and dreaming but also doing a great deal of reminiscing about all of the dreams I’d made a reality. That’s my goal. What’s something that you’ve put off to do later that you could do right now?

Fall Madly in love with YOU

by

Dont-forget-to-fall-in-loveHow much do you love you? Is it off the charts love? Whatever the case, we could all use a little more love – from ourselves! Here are my top four ways to fall so madly in love with YOU!

  • comparison-quote-450x434
  • Stop comparing yourself to others. You are fabulous just the way you are. There’s no reason to compare your short story to someone else’s novel. You have no idea how long it took to get that novel picture perfect and publisher ready. Give yourself a break and focus on your journey. It’s going to turn out as it should.
  • Let yourself off the hook. So you didn’t work out today.  What did you do? Focus on the things you do right instead of the areas where you think you’ve failed. That doesn’t mean to ignore the areas that need a little improvement. Don’t make your failures your focus. If you give more energy to the things you do well, other things will begin to add themselves to that list.
  • Spend some time with yourself. Take a little time to get to know you, like really know you. Fall in love with yourself. The more you love on you, the better you’ll be to Y-O-U!
  • You have dreams that are unique to only you. That is pretty freaking awesome! Even if your dreams seem like they are someone else’s life, you’re a different person so that dream would look totally different on you! Go for it!

If The World Wrote You A Letter

by

“We’re all desperately waiting for you to just do it.  What are you waiting for?

Signed,

The World

Is that the kind of sign we need to get things moving? Does the world really  need to cry out for us to set out on the path of turning dreams into reality? The truth is, the world really is waiting for you to just do it – whatever “it” is. Whatever it is you want to offer the world, there is someone out here waiting for it. What you have to offer could change. their. life. Seriously, think about that. If you decide that it’s too much and you can’t get to it or it’s too hard you know what happens? A lot of somebodies miss out on something pretty special. Think about the people who have changed your life with their gift. It could be a pastor, a singer, a teacher or Oprah! If they hadn’t followed their heart and their passion, you would have missed out. Make sense?

waitingEvery year, so many of us make resolutions, intentions and commitments to rock out life in some way or another. We start off strong. Then around March we start to slow down. Our burning ambitions become a slightly visible flame. So what happened? Over the years, I have been able to point the finger at a few things. Sometimes it’s as simple as life. It gets hectic, it gets complicated, it changes before we are ready to make the adjustment and we have to roll with it. So, our original demands of ourselves become back burner suggestions at best. It happens. If you stop altogether now, you’ll be that much further behind and probably totally give up eventually. Don’t do it!

Consider this your permission slip to take those goals and dreams off the back burner and make them a priority again. Maybe you can’t take on the whole enchilada but how about one small piece of it? Everything is easier to chew in bite sized pieces, right?

Here’s what that looks like for me. Instead of taking on the task of writing a whole new book right now, I’ve decided to work on a few small things at a time. I’m still keeping the writing mojo going but giving the time to my family that they need too. It’s a win-win. I do what I love and my family still gets what they need.

So tell me, how can you take bite sized pieces toward your dreams, goals right now?

When there are NO excuses left.

by

As I’ve set out to make my dreams cone true, I’ve come across so many who hold on to doubt that their own dreams are even possible and worth pursuing. Here are my top 9 excuses for why we don’t follow our dreams.motivational-quotes-excuses-dreams

via

  • I’m not _____ enough.

Remember your words have power. If you keep telling yourself what you aren’t then it will become the truth. So what ARE you?

  • I don’t have time to discover my passion, let alone follow it.

We tend to make time for the things that are important to us. Finding time to learn what you are passionate about or making time to follow your passion are worthwhile. Think of all the people you aren’t impacting because you’re not sharing your gift, passion and dreams with the world.

  • I’ll do it someday.

Simply put – we aren’t promised someday, today or Thursday. None of them are guaranteed. Stop putting your life off for time you don’t even have. {click to tweet}

  • I don’t know where to start.

Just start.

  • People will judge.

People judge no matter what you do or don’t do. Heck, they judge based on what they think you do. So, do you!

  • There’s no guarantee it will work.

That’s just life though, right ? Nothing is a sure fire promise.

  • I’m too young/old.

No such thing. I just read about a 15 year old tech millionaire business owner. Too young? Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame started his business in his elder years. Too old?

  • I don’t know what I’m doing.

No one starts anything knowing everything. You just have to go for it and learn along the way.

  • What if I fail?

Better question: What if you don’t?

What’s your dream and what’s holding you back?