By Joy Chudacoff
Jan 9, 2009
Last week, after my husband Greg read my article “Smart Women Are a Lot Like Rocket Ships,” he had an interesting question: He said, “Every week you write about the same thing—making your Big Idea happen, Reaching your Goals and Dreams, getting the right support, blah, blah, blah… when are you going to write about something else?”
Being a woman who encourages new ideas and new perspectives, I went off to take a bubble bath (a nightly self-care ritual!) and to reflect on his question.
In my work with women, the foundation is always around passionate and purposeful living. In order to live a life full of unlimited energy filled with passion and purpose, you will be making big things happen in your life. You will be connecting with your Big Ideas, dreams and goals. You will seek and find the proper support to help you achieve your goals. This becomes a way of life for women who choose to live without boundaries around what they can and deserve to accomplish.
The challenge for me is that I know only a fraction of women in the world are living the kind of life I just described. It seems unrealistic to many women–not possible, not achievable. I think this is the reason I continue to write so often about this idea. I want to encourage women in every way imaginable that having a life that is overflowing with abundance is possible.
How about you? Is this something you desire? To create a life that is on purpose, both at work and at home, and achieving those Big Ideas, Dreams and Goals? I know this is something that I desperately wanted in my life 10 years ago. I was searching for what might be next for me, what my purpose was, who could support me in going to the next level in my life. I would wake up most days with those nagging questions and the empty answers: “What do I want to do next?” “Who can I talk to that will be able to help me?” “What might be the next step to move me closer to my dreams and goals?”
Today I am living a high-energy, passionate, purposeful life but it was not by accident. It was through taking the right steps to find out what I truly wanted for myself (not what others might want for me), finding the right support to make it happen, and working with my support system to put a plan together that would result in a successful outcome.
I invite you to grab a pen and some paper, sit down, and ask yourself a very important question:
What do I want?
Not just what you need to get by or what other people think you should want. Initially, you might catch yourself writing something “safe.” “Safe” meaning it might be within your reach but it’s not really what you truly want at your core.
So yes, Greg, you are correct. I am going to continue to write about Making your Big Idea , Dreams and Goals Happen. I’m going to write about living a life filled with unlimited energy, passion, and purpose and all the blah, blah, blah. At least until I’m satisfied that more women are waking up to this lifestyle each and every day.
The New Year is fast approaching (13 days!). Now is the time to “get real” about what you really want moving forward. And I’m going to be here to support you in getting what you really want both in your personal life and your entrepreneurial life, but you have to do some of the work. You have to decide what it is…
© 2008 Joy Chudacoff
Joy Chudacoff is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions, a Certified Professional Coach and Professional Speaker. To read more articles by Joy and learn more about her Success Circle workshops, teleseminars or keynote topics, please visit her website, visit Smart Women Smart Solutions or contact Joy at Joy@SmartWomenSolutions.com.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
The Ebb and Flow of Life
A prolonged visit in the hospital was an education in the ebb and flow of life in general. Like a hospital, there is a never ending rhythm of activities.
As an observer quietly sitting in the chair watching the ebb and flow of people and machines and daily to-ing and fro-ing was an exercise in humility. Here were literally hundreds of people, both seen upstairs and unseen in the bowels of a hospital, that are all working for the well being of one person.
The morning nurse is there to take vital signs of patients, kitchen staff prepare and deliver meals, doctors and interns do rounds, visitors sit at bedsides, waiting for news of loved ones prognosis and expectancy of going home. Doctors, nurses, technicians, cleaning staff, secretaries, gardeners (yes, the plants also need to be watered!) and snow ploughing, etc. etc. Without one person, other people would have to pick up the slack and the symmetry of life is disturbed.
Sleep for the patient is cat napping between sponge baths, vital signs, housekeeping, medication, doctors visits. And so it goes on... day in and day out, everyone confident in their own position in the daily flow of life.
And so too, our own lives are structured and flow, day in and day out. We are reliant on each member of the household to fulfill each of their functions. Mothers care for their children, households and invariably also have day jobs. Fathers provide auxiliary household duties and provide for families, children in their own ways provide joy and delight, however old they may be.
If any one of the functions falls off the rails, chaos can reign. Dysfunction sets in and all sorts of difficulties ensue.
So too does a business run. Each department is a function of the whole. Without everyone pulling their weight and integrating with other departments, the whole structure will come tumbling down.
No one piece of a business is more important than the other.
The janitor is no less valuable than the CEO. Each function is as important as the other, and provides the total harmony and well being of a business. Let us not be so arrogant as to think that our function in the greater scheme of life is any more important than the person next door. Humility will be your greatest asset and make you a better liked person.
Remember that a wheel will only turn as long as the cogs are in alignment.
As an observer quietly sitting in the chair watching the ebb and flow of people and machines and daily to-ing and fro-ing was an exercise in humility. Here were literally hundreds of people, both seen upstairs and unseen in the bowels of a hospital, that are all working for the well being of one person.
The morning nurse is there to take vital signs of patients, kitchen staff prepare and deliver meals, doctors and interns do rounds, visitors sit at bedsides, waiting for news of loved ones prognosis and expectancy of going home. Doctors, nurses, technicians, cleaning staff, secretaries, gardeners (yes, the plants also need to be watered!) and snow ploughing, etc. etc. Without one person, other people would have to pick up the slack and the symmetry of life is disturbed.
Sleep for the patient is cat napping between sponge baths, vital signs, housekeeping, medication, doctors visits. And so it goes on... day in and day out, everyone confident in their own position in the daily flow of life.
And so too, our own lives are structured and flow, day in and day out. We are reliant on each member of the household to fulfill each of their functions. Mothers care for their children, households and invariably also have day jobs. Fathers provide auxiliary household duties and provide for families, children in their own ways provide joy and delight, however old they may be.
If any one of the functions falls off the rails, chaos can reign. Dysfunction sets in and all sorts of difficulties ensue.
So too does a business run. Each department is a function of the whole. Without everyone pulling their weight and integrating with other departments, the whole structure will come tumbling down.
No one piece of a business is more important than the other.
The janitor is no less valuable than the CEO. Each function is as important as the other, and provides the total harmony and well being of a business. Let us not be so arrogant as to think that our function in the greater scheme of life is any more important than the person next door. Humility will be your greatest asset and make you a better liked person.
Remember that a wheel will only turn as long as the cogs are in alignment.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Bring jobs back to America
America has become a dust bowl, reminiscent of John Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath" where farmers left their devastated drought stricken farms to look west for work.
Today's unemployment has reached a staggering 600,000 and growing. The meltdown on Wall Street and the inability of small businesses access to loans and capital has created the greatest disaster in history for everybody, not only the "little man", but the "fat cats" in their ivory castles as well.
Now is the time to look at the psyche of the American person, and acknowledge that they have become lazy and overly-particular about what type of job they want to do.
It is time to bring back jobs to America.
It is no longer viable to outsource jobs to other countries. All those manufacturing jobs that are outsourced in China and Korea and India, etc. should be brought back into this country.
Government/States should give incentives to companies to bring manufacturing back into the cities and rural areas, which will create jobs for thousands of people. It will in turn create revenue for the States in company taxes and individual taxes.
It will bring better supervision of the quality of products being manufactured, so that there are no crises of milk pollution to kill babies, lead poisoning of children, poor quality materials used in manufacturing.
The price of goods may go up some, but not enough that the savings overall in the creation of jobs would not offset the increases. Earning $10 an hour is still better than earning $0 an hour and that should still include benefits.
It is an indictment on us, the American people, that we have allowed ourselves to become complacent and have not had the will to do our own work. There is nothing wrong with working in a factory producing quality goods for our families.There is nothing wrong with an article having the label "Made in America".
Bring back our jobs, bring back our soldiers, bring back our dignity.
Today's unemployment has reached a staggering 600,000 and growing. The meltdown on Wall Street and the inability of small businesses access to loans and capital has created the greatest disaster in history for everybody, not only the "little man", but the "fat cats" in their ivory castles as well.
Now is the time to look at the psyche of the American person, and acknowledge that they have become lazy and overly-particular about what type of job they want to do.
It is time to bring back jobs to America.
It is no longer viable to outsource jobs to other countries. All those manufacturing jobs that are outsourced in China and Korea and India, etc. should be brought back into this country.
Government/States should give incentives to companies to bring manufacturing back into the cities and rural areas, which will create jobs for thousands of people. It will in turn create revenue for the States in company taxes and individual taxes.
It will bring better supervision of the quality of products being manufactured, so that there are no crises of milk pollution to kill babies, lead poisoning of children, poor quality materials used in manufacturing.
The price of goods may go up some, but not enough that the savings overall in the creation of jobs would not offset the increases. Earning $10 an hour is still better than earning $0 an hour and that should still include benefits.
It is an indictment on us, the American people, that we have allowed ourselves to become complacent and have not had the will to do our own work. There is nothing wrong with working in a factory producing quality goods for our families.There is nothing wrong with an article having the label "Made in America".
Bring back our jobs, bring back our soldiers, bring back our dignity.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Baby Boomers Retirement
The first baby boomer applying for social security, and the balance of tax-paying workers to Social Security recipients, has shifted severely since the end of WWII.
Quote from the October 15, 2007 edition of ABC Nightly News with Charles Gibson:
"At the end of World War II, there were 44 workers paying Social Security taxes for every retiree collecting from the program. Now the ratio is just three workers for every one retiree. And soon there will be more retirees than workers. "
Scary?
A few years ago, did you have an image of strolling down the beach, care-free, as the waves lapped at your feet?
Or, maybe it was yourself and a loved one discovering some far off place together, finally fulfilling the lifelong dream of traveling the world…
Or perhaps you saw yourself at a big retirement ceremony… all your coworkers
congratulating you on your graduation into the “good life” of retirement?
Was it anything close to those images?
If so, that’s great... You are in the very small minority of baby boomers who feel “optimistic” about their futures.
For the rest, the thought of pleasure activities and lifelong dreams immediately brings up the familiar image of a question mark in front of a dollar sign.
Nick Marks, arguably the most accomplished internet marketer on the web today, has written a report showing you, step-by-step, how to tap into an endless stream of money... and how to have a great time doing it.
You do not need to be a baby boomer to make these tactics work for you. There are people of all ages and backgrounds making a whole lot of money on the Internet. However, Nick says his book was written with boomers in mind for 2 reasons:
"1. I hear from baby boomers all the time who are very frightened about their futures, and I know this guide can help put an end to that fear because I’ve seen it happen for people.
2. Because anyone who has been walking the earth between 43 and 61 years is almost certain to possess a key ingredient to success when marketing online"
Plus, Boomers have follow-through…
Whether you realize it or not, Baby Boomers have special knowledge and experience that people will gladly pay top dollar for once put it into a simple guide that will save them time and money...
The “Baby Boomer’s Guide To Online Income” contains all the steps to finding out which of your skill sets people will be most eager to learn from you... Plus, how to write the book so people will get the most from it.
It will also teach you ways to make money online that require absolutely no writing, no direct selling, or in some cases, not even a website.
This is a book that will empower you to make money by offering quality products and services to people who can truly benefit from them, at no cost to yourself. Find a niche market in which you are interested, and have fun while earning extra residual income.
Go now to "Baby Boomers Guide to Online Income"
Quote from the October 15, 2007 edition of ABC Nightly News with Charles Gibson:
"At the end of World War II, there were 44 workers paying Social Security taxes for every retiree collecting from the program. Now the ratio is just three workers for every one retiree. And soon there will be more retirees than workers. "
Scary?
A few years ago, did you have an image of strolling down the beach, care-free, as the waves lapped at your feet?
Or, maybe it was yourself and a loved one discovering some far off place together, finally fulfilling the lifelong dream of traveling the world…
Or perhaps you saw yourself at a big retirement ceremony… all your coworkers
congratulating you on your graduation into the “good life” of retirement?
Was it anything close to those images?
If so, that’s great... You are in the very small minority of baby boomers who feel “optimistic” about their futures.
For the rest, the thought of pleasure activities and lifelong dreams immediately brings up the familiar image of a question mark in front of a dollar sign.
Nick Marks, arguably the most accomplished internet marketer on the web today, has written a report showing you, step-by-step, how to tap into an endless stream of money... and how to have a great time doing it.
You do not need to be a baby boomer to make these tactics work for you. There are people of all ages and backgrounds making a whole lot of money on the Internet. However, Nick says his book was written with boomers in mind for 2 reasons:
"1. I hear from baby boomers all the time who are very frightened about their futures, and I know this guide can help put an end to that fear because I’ve seen it happen for people.
2. Because anyone who has been walking the earth between 43 and 61 years is almost certain to possess a key ingredient to success when marketing online"
Plus, Boomers have follow-through…
Whether you realize it or not, Baby Boomers have special knowledge and experience that people will gladly pay top dollar for once put it into a simple guide that will save them time and money...
The “Baby Boomer’s Guide To Online Income” contains all the steps to finding out which of your skill sets people will be most eager to learn from you... Plus, how to write the book so people will get the most from it.
It will also teach you ways to make money online that require absolutely no writing, no direct selling, or in some cases, not even a website.
This is a book that will empower you to make money by offering quality products and services to people who can truly benefit from them, at no cost to yourself. Find a niche market in which you are interested, and have fun while earning extra residual income.
Go now to "Baby Boomers Guide to Online Income"
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Life in the times of The Magnificent Seven
I was watching an old re-run of The Magnificent Seven this morning while waiting for the laundry to dry and hunkering down because of rainy,miserable weather. Hurricane Ike has come aground, and the country is awash in water.
Although I have seen it many times, it was a nostalgic journey back in time, when the good guys were good, the bad guys were really bad, and good always won out over evil.
In our "today" world, life is no longer black and white, good and bad, or where the good guys are always right. It is a world of grey and menacing threats, everything is not as it appears on the surface, and the bad buys are lurking in the mountains.
We don't appear to have a band of brothers to come and save us from threats and dangers.
I am not sure why today's film stars think they are so much superior to the rest of mankind.
Back in those times Yul Brunner, Charles Bronson and Steve McQueen et al, were doing a job, just like the man at the gas station, the doctor or the gym trainer. The fact that people recognized them on walk-abouts and made them "celebs" did not detract from their inherent connection with everyday people.
History teaches us everything and nothing. We refuse to learn from past mistakes or even past triumphs. We continue stumbling around trying to re-invent the wheel (oh so far in history!!).
Until there is a universal understanding that all men need to work together to create a world that will sustain all mankind, regardless of race, color, creed or religion, life will continue to be fraught with uncertainty and unhappiness at all levels. I know the rich don't want to really share wealth with the poor, and there will always be those that have and those that don't have. It is childish and naive to believe that all men will share equally.
We are missing the simplicity of life when The Magnificent Seven saved the village from the bandit and they all lived happily ever after. Well, some of them didn't live, but what the heck, it was only a movie!
Although I have seen it many times, it was a nostalgic journey back in time, when the good guys were good, the bad guys were really bad, and good always won out over evil.
In our "today" world, life is no longer black and white, good and bad, or where the good guys are always right. It is a world of grey and menacing threats, everything is not as it appears on the surface, and the bad buys are lurking in the mountains.
We don't appear to have a band of brothers to come and save us from threats and dangers.
I am not sure why today's film stars think they are so much superior to the rest of mankind.
Back in those times Yul Brunner, Charles Bronson and Steve McQueen et al, were doing a job, just like the man at the gas station, the doctor or the gym trainer. The fact that people recognized them on walk-abouts and made them "celebs" did not detract from their inherent connection with everyday people.
History teaches us everything and nothing. We refuse to learn from past mistakes or even past triumphs. We continue stumbling around trying to re-invent the wheel (oh so far in history!!).
Until there is a universal understanding that all men need to work together to create a world that will sustain all mankind, regardless of race, color, creed or religion, life will continue to be fraught with uncertainty and unhappiness at all levels. I know the rich don't want to really share wealth with the poor, and there will always be those that have and those that don't have. It is childish and naive to believe that all men will share equally.
We are missing the simplicity of life when The Magnificent Seven saved the village from the bandit and they all lived happily ever after. Well, some of them didn't live, but what the heck, it was only a movie!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Why and How to Avoid Bad Credit Loans
A "bad credit loan" is the one you will be stuck with if your credit report is less than excellent. More specifically, if your credit score is not well above 620 you will be paying a much higher interest rate on your loans than most people. In this article, we will provide you with some common sense advice on how to avoid these high interest loans.
The interest rate you pay on any loan can be tied directly to your credit score. And your credit score is based on your credit history, as compiled by the three major credit reporting bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax). The credit bureaus get their information about you from your current and past lenders.
Remember that car loan you defaulted on a couple years ago? Yup - that's in your credit report. And so are those utility bills you were late paying last year.
The best way to start avoiding bad credit loans is to improve your credit. I know that sounds simplistic, but it's true. You should be able to repair your bad credit yourself, for free. Start by requesting copies of your credit reports from the three major credit bureaus. Review the reports for any inaccurate information, and get it removed by contacting the credit bureaus.
Start paying down your debt. Reduce the balance on your credit cards as much as possible. Negotiate payment terms with your lenders, if necessary. And be careful to pay all your monthly bill on-time, from now on. Just one late-pay can ruin all your efforts.
Add good credit references to your credit report. There are a couple ways you can have positive information submitted to the credit bureaus, even if you cannot get a regular, unsecured credit card. One way is through the use of sub-prime merchandise cards. Although they are not a VISA or MasterCard, they do report to the credit bureaus.
Another option for adding credit reference is to obtain a secured credit card. They typically require a cash deposit, and then you can charge up to the amount of the deposit. Be sure to shop around for these cards, since some have lower fees than others.
Arm yourself with the right information. There are many sources of tips and techniques for improving your credit (and therefore avoiding bad credit loans). But some techniques are shaky at best (and may even be illegal). There is no shortage of companies eager to sell you an instant solution for your credit problems. Take the time to locate an information source you can trust. For example, when choosing a credit repair manual, look for a publisher with a long track record of success, one who updates their information frequently, and offers a money-back guarantee.
Apply these common sense techniques to repairing your shaky finances, and you may never have to visit the "pay-day loan store" again. You should know that it will take time, but if you start today to fix your credit, you should be able to get a lower interest rate on that new car loan later this year.
The "CREDIT SECRETS BIBLE" has been in
print since 1994 and is published by
Consumer Publishing Group.
For more information on the "CREDIT
SECRETS BIBLE" you may visit:
CREDIT SECRETS BIBLE
=======================================
The interest rate you pay on any loan can be tied directly to your credit score. And your credit score is based on your credit history, as compiled by the three major credit reporting bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax). The credit bureaus get their information about you from your current and past lenders.
Remember that car loan you defaulted on a couple years ago? Yup - that's in your credit report. And so are those utility bills you were late paying last year.
The best way to start avoiding bad credit loans is to improve your credit. I know that sounds simplistic, but it's true. You should be able to repair your bad credit yourself, for free. Start by requesting copies of your credit reports from the three major credit bureaus. Review the reports for any inaccurate information, and get it removed by contacting the credit bureaus.
Start paying down your debt. Reduce the balance on your credit cards as much as possible. Negotiate payment terms with your lenders, if necessary. And be careful to pay all your monthly bill on-time, from now on. Just one late-pay can ruin all your efforts.
Add good credit references to your credit report. There are a couple ways you can have positive information submitted to the credit bureaus, even if you cannot get a regular, unsecured credit card. One way is through the use of sub-prime merchandise cards. Although they are not a VISA or MasterCard, they do report to the credit bureaus.
Another option for adding credit reference is to obtain a secured credit card. They typically require a cash deposit, and then you can charge up to the amount of the deposit. Be sure to shop around for these cards, since some have lower fees than others.
Arm yourself with the right information. There are many sources of tips and techniques for improving your credit (and therefore avoiding bad credit loans). But some techniques are shaky at best (and may even be illegal). There is no shortage of companies eager to sell you an instant solution for your credit problems. Take the time to locate an information source you can trust. For example, when choosing a credit repair manual, look for a publisher with a long track record of success, one who updates their information frequently, and offers a money-back guarantee.
Apply these common sense techniques to repairing your shaky finances, and you may never have to visit the "pay-day loan store" again. You should know that it will take time, but if you start today to fix your credit, you should be able to get a lower interest rate on that new car loan later this year.
The "CREDIT SECRETS BIBLE" has been in
print since 1994 and is published by
Consumer Publishing Group.
For more information on the "CREDIT
SECRETS BIBLE" you may visit:
CREDIT SECRETS BIBLE
=======================================
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