life

Has Your Dream Expired?

June 18, 2013 by cam

What if I told you that your dreams don’t expire? What if you just found out that you’re not too old to make your dreams come true? Well, guess what? All of the above is TRUE!

For a while, I thought that I’d missed out on doing the things I really wanted to do. For years I’d talked myself out of following my dreams. My reasons were legitimate… to me. I felt like what I wanted couldn’t be done. I was sure that I was I didn’t have the right connections, I was getting to old. I had convinced myself that what I wanted was just plain impossible.

What I found out is that I had been not only lying to myself but I’d also been talking myself out of my dreams. I wasn’t giving anyone else a chance to shoot me down. I was doing a really good job of kicking my dreams to the curb all on my own. Why is that? I’m not alone in this. For some reason, we are our own worst enemy on things like this.

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Sure, in my 20’s I was a go getter and all about making it happen. I had accomplished some pretty cool things. I wanted to write for a newspaper – I did that. I wanted to work in television. I did that by getting my start in local television. I wanted to work in entertainment television and work for a network. Done and done. My twenties saw me tackle these things and dive into a new city jobless determined to hustle my way to the top. Somehow, I made it happen. Then, I think I began to get scared. I felt like I had reached my limit. No girl could really ask for more. Right? Wrong!

Once I had children, my thoughts shifted a bit. Originally, I think I believed that having kids would really bring my dreams to a screeching halt! To my surprise, I found the opposite to be true. I began to dream new dreams. I began to dream up things that were bigger than what I thought I wanted for myself. My kids had given me the motivation to really get out there. Publish a book, start a blog, start a business – why not? Becoming a mom made me even more determined to not only dream but follow those dreams. What good is a dream if that’s all it is? (tweet this) I feel like since I have two little people watching my every move, it’s up to my husband and I to show them what’s possible. Instead of just SAYING reach for the sky, how about I show them HOW to tickle the stars? It occurred to me that I can’t tell them to follow their dreams if I don’t follow mine. Well, I can but why not lead by example?

Tell me what would make you decide your dreams were worth following?

Notes to My 20s from My 30s

June 4, 2013 by cam

Now that I’m WELL into my 30s there are some things that I wish I had known in my 20s. I think I’d be a little further in life if I’d learned some lessons sooner. Here’s my top six list of things I wish I had known in my 20s. Let’s count backwards (David Letterman-style) – just because it’s more fun that way.

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Now that I’m in my 30s I spend less time caring about what people think. In my 20s I was much more timid and afraid to speak up. I was afraid to just be honest with people because I didn’t want to hurt their feelings or I was afraid of what they would think. These days, that’s not an issue. Not that I’m going rouge and taking no prisoners but I’m not biting my tongue nearly as much as I was before.

As I get older, my definition of old changes big time. There was a time I thought 30 was over the hill! I am truly of the mindset now that life gets better with age. It all depends on how you live. If you live well and treat yourself well, life will return the favor.

With age, the definition of who I am starts to get clearer. I am learning so much about me and what I love, what I’m passionate about and what I want to get out of life. I’ve always known that I have a love for people. I have been known to take up for the underdog on many occasions. I just don’t like to see people get mistreated. Now, I’ve taken that a step further in wanting to help people by encouraging them to pursue their dreams and live the life they want to live.

I’ve learned that taking risks isn’t for the weak. It’s hard to step out on nothing and hope there’s another step below your feet. It’s not easy for sure. But aside from being hard, taking risks is good and necessary. Risks also make you grow.

Only those of us who risk going too far will ever know how far to go. –Anon (tweet this)

Envy just drains you. It’s so easy to see what other people have and convince yourself you’re missing out. I’ve learned, without a doubt that what’s for you is for you. Don’t worry about what other people are doing/getting/being.

There’s nothing more important than family. Whether it’s the one you were born into or the one you create. Family trumps everything – period.

Share in the comments what life lessons you would tell your younger self?

Being Ugly Ain’t Cute

May 21, 2013 by cam

Sometimes we hit it out of the park. Sometimes we don’t even come close. Sometimes we excel and sometimes we flat out fail. To be able to admit those shortcomings can be life changing. To be unwilling to ever be wrong, ever in life is just flat out foolish.

Enter the two owners of Amy’s Baking Company Bakery Boutique and Bistro (is it me or is this name too long?) in Arizona. This husband and wife team appeared on a recent episode of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. They delivered on the nightmares! Their restaurant was plagued with problems. From them keeping the tips of their waiters for themselves, yelling at customers and food that was sub par at best, this show was a perfect storm.

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Early on, I could tell that there wouldn’t be a happy ending. This wouldn’t end wrapped up with a pretty bow. Instead, Amy (owner and chef) was combative. She lived in her own reality and believed that anything she did was exemplary. How on earth could people not like her food? Her answer? They just don’t know how to eat it. Yes, she said that. Her husband was too afraid to stand up to her and tell her the truth. As a result their business was suffering… big time.

Reviews from the web were scathing to say the least. This show and the firestorm that followed is a PR nightmare on a level I haven’t seen in a while. It’s also a perfect example of what not to do in business. That’s right, their loss is our lesson!

Here are my top three lessons learned from this EPIC failure!

1 – Get out of your own way! If we are never able to take a step back and REALLY see ourselves – good or bad, we’re doomed to mediocrity. Because Amy was unwilling to hear any criticism, from anyone, she essentially set herself up to fail.

2 – Surround yourself with honesty. Have people around you that are willing to tell you the truth, no matter how ugly. If you surround yourself with “yes’ men, how will you ever grow. To really grow, we must be challenged.

3 – Change or die. We have to be willing to change. Anything not changing isn’t growing. Guess what, if it’s not growing, it’s dead. If we’re not growing, learning, changing in life or business, it’s time to shake things up or shut it down.

Five Ways to Get Your Life

April 16, 2013 by cam

“Storms make oaks take root.” – Proverb

There’s no doubt that no two people are the same. There is also no doubt that we all experience some of the same things. It’s been said that into every life some rain must fall. Well, there have been times where I felt like there was a storm cloud hovering over me with torrential downpours. It gets rough. I think we’ve all been there. How do we deal with it though? How do we move forward when it feels like everything in life has conspired to hold us back and keep us drenched?

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It can be hard to stay motivated and positive when all you see is anything but. Think about it this way, when it rains outside we tend to stay inside and rest, get things done, and do some thinking. The same things can apply to life’s storms. I think it’s fair to first have the “why me?”, “are you serious right now?” responses. After we’re done kicking rocks, let’s change it up.

Here are a few ways to make sure you come through the storm ready for what’s next:

Rest – literally just take some time to chill out. Drop whatever stress you can and regroup. Stressing doesn’t help us change a thing and it certainly doesn’t get us closer to our goals.
Help someone – this may be the best way to take your focus off of your own issues. Find somebody who is going through something and offer to help. Sometimes, it takes seeing somebody else’s stuff to realize you need to stop tripping!
Check your circle – make sure you’re hanging out with people that inspire and motivate you. If everyone around you is a Debbie Downer, they’ll take you down with them.
Believe in the bright side – know that things can’t be a mess forever. Believe that there is a silver lining and that you’ll see it. Every storm ends eventually.
Note it – what did you learn while in the storm? Use the lessons you learned to make you stronger! Cue Kanye…

What’s your tried and true way for dealing with a hard time? Anything to add to this list?