Your Next Chapter

If we learn to savor and value our time, suddenly it becomes very easy to prioritize how we spend our time.

As for people- I think you’ll feel just as I do. If you want to make moments count, make the time, you’ll find yourself becoming super vigilant around who and how you spend your time. Saying no to the lunch you really didn’t want to attend or the coffee chats that are rehashing problems or the not necessary, non-productive meeting. It’ll all become really clear. Promise yourself, you’ll make moments count while you wait in the line.

I am in the middle of planning out this holiday, which is going to be very different for me than in previous years, not the least because I’m in Paris. I began by asking myself, what is it I really want for this holiday season? I think most of you are in that same place.

I don’t know about you, but I want calmness, and nothing rushed.

Yes, today people love being labeled as a Creative. In the past creatives were a little odd, a little different … people such as painters, sculptors, writers, designers, and even architects.

Now though being labeled a creative has expanded to include almost anyone who has unique ways of thinking such as creative thinkers, creative problem solvers, and even creative leaders.

And frankly, don’t we now all love being considered a Creative? I know I do!

So how can we nurture and grow our own creativity? And what habits do creative people have that we can try on for ourselves?

This week, I’m talking about hobbies …. actually, I’m going to do a series on hobbies in Extraordinary Women Magazine. Why? Hobbies are important to have. Hobbies are about trying on new things with absolutely no expectation of mastery … just fun.

It isn’t in your head. Women are like emotional sponges. You really do find it harder to switch roles without having the emotions from one role spill over into another. For example, if you’re a mother, your mother emotions naturally spill into your role at work or your emotions around work can affect how you interact with your partner or children.

Time with yourself matters. It is time with yourself that helps you to refuel, reconnect and cleanly move from one role to another. Time to yourself, even if it’s just 15 minutes, can make a crazy busy day feel much better and help you to put away any self-sabotaging beliefs that should be put firmly in the past. You have to get quiet to connect with the woman you are today.

Today’s conversation is about making a house a home and does that even matter?

Making a house a home is one of my favorite things to do. I should have been a designer. I love houses … all sorts of houses.

When I was a young girl, I had a paper route. The fourth week of every month, I was out at night to collect the fees from subscribers. It was usually dark outside, and with lights on inside, I could investigate homes as I went from house to house. I created stories around the lives of the people who I thought must live in each house.

Honestly, that might have started my love of homes. Cape Cod, Mediterranean, colonial, Paris apartment or Boston condo…. I still love them all and still enjoy going on home tours and imagine how I would live in the space. How and where I would spend my time? Where would I read a book, work on projects, entertain my family and friends?

As babies, we had no doubt that we’d master the art of walking, even though we only took tiny little steps to accomplish that feat. Why not give yourself the same amount of faith, acknowledge your tiny step of accomplishment and reinforce your belief and sense of knowing that you’ll get to where it is that you want to go.

It’s the habit of trying every single day and consistently embracing the tiny steps, those tiny shifts that lead to the big accomplishment. 

Because Fall is actually much more of a new year, new beginning shifts than January 1st ever is.

Like every new year reset, this is when we ask ourselves the hard questions and my question this week is how can I feel happier?

I want to feel happy. Not just a little happy, but I want my happiness cup to be overflowing.

Let’s Imagine a ballerina. En pointe is the classic ballet position when the ballerina is up on her toe shoes.  She appears weightless, floating and perfectly balanced, yet if you had the ability to zoom in and take a closer look at her feet, and every ballerina will tell you this, her toe shoes are actually vibrating, as she makes tiny, tiny adjustments second by second to maintain her balance.

So that tells us - that what appears to be perfect balance, actually requires continual adjustments.

But what connected ALL of the women was that they are hands down extraordinary.

And ladies, so are you. We are a tribe of extraordinary women … whether you own a business, or your one thing is your family. Whether you are retired or just starting your professional career.

So, if you hadn’t guessed it - the magazine’s new name is Extraordinary Women.

Going forward, my focus will be this podcast and the Extraordinary Women Magazine.