In each moment, we have a choice of who and how we want to be.  No matter what our situation looks like, we have a choice, right now.  

So ask yourself, time after time each day, “Right now, in this moment, who do I want to be?”

I choose powerful.  I choose in charge. I choose at choice (not victim, not villian, not hero).

I choose to be powerfully ME, no matter what my situation may look like right now, in this moment.

What about you?  What do you choose?  

Life — what will you make it today? 

You have a choice.

I have had a lot of personal growth and shifts recently, and it was time for my business to shift with me.  Now more than ever, we entrepreneurs must be ready to change along with the needs of those we serve… and with our own needs.

I needed a “reSparking” of my own energy and vision… and that got me thinking about what other entrepreneurs might really need.

Our world has changed so much even in the past few years, so how have the needs of entrepreneurs (including myself!) changed?

• We need new ways to determine our priorities and focus our attention there.
• We need help getting clear on what we really want and need in our lives and our businesses… and how to let go of the things we don’t need.
• We need fewer things put ON our plates and more things taken OFF — and the wisdom to know which is which!
• We need to partner and collaborate more efficiently than ever before.
• We need to become experts in dealing with change… sometimes creating the change ourselves, and sometimes reacting to change others have created.

As entrepreneurs, we have a chance to build businesses that positively impact our own lives, our communities, and the world around us — not just by the products and services we offer, but by the examples we set of living and working with integrity and heart, while making smart choices.  WE can reSpark the Entrepreneurial Revolution! 

“Play energizes us and enlivens us. It eases our burdens. It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities.” ~ Stuart Brown, MD (Contemporary American psychiatrist)

Play is one of the most important parts of our lives and business, yet for many of us, it is one of the most challenging things to actually DO.   It is hard for us to do something just for our enjoyment.  We prioritize everything else because we judge play as something non-productive that gets in the way of our work.

It seems counter-intuitive, but when you take the time out of work to focus on play, it actually benefits your business.

When you return to your work, you are more productive and effective because:

• You have a fresh perspective.
• You are re-energized to make smarter and more creative business choices.
• You are someone your clients want to connect with (who wants to work with someone who is totally stressed out???).
• You are not burnt out!

Play also helps you “get out of your own way.”  Sometimes we just need to stop focusing so much on trying to find solutions to problems or on coming up with the next great product or service.

I love the phrase one of our Big Fish Coaches (Nancy Duncan) uses: “Distract yourself and see what shows up.”  I hear stories all the time of contracts finally coming through, new clients showing up, and AHA moments happening when people take the time out to play.

We all have different things that feel like “play” to us.  For me, it might be kayaking or hiking outdoors, having dinner with a friend, taking a walk along the beach, going to a concert, or even just reading a book for pleasure!   (I do enjoy playing with my daughter, but that is still more on her terms than mine so it doesn’t quite fit the “play” I’m talking about here.)

Play is a serious part of the way you do life and business — so what form of play can you do today to give yourself that important break?

Women entrepreneurs have an additional challenge in that we often sell ourselves short and hesitate to price our services high enough.   Why?  Because we’re afraid.  Have you ever asked yourself the following questions?

• What if nobody else thinks my product/service is that valuable?
• I have fun doing this work, so why would someone else pay me really well for it?
• Doesn’t that price sound like a lot of money?

Pricing is only as scary as you let it be, so dive in and start working on — and playing with — your pricing strategy today!

It’s easy to get so wrapped up in the busy-ness of each day that we just don’t pay attention to our own needs, and our self care goes to the bottom of our endless “To Do” lists.

Paying attention is such a simple thing to do, but I can tell you it sure is not easy!  It took me the past few months of divorce stress, not sleeping well, and losing too much weight to finally start paying attention to the fact that I was seriously neglecting my self care.  I have a master’s degree in Health Education, and I still lost track of my own self care habits!

When I finally stopped to notice my new unhealthy habits, I realized just how much I had let go of my healthy habits, and it got me totally fired up to make major changes in my self care and other areas of my life!

It shouldn’t take a divorce to wake us up to the habits we need to change.  Start paying attention TODAY, and looking at your habits.  Which ones help you rise up?  Which ones bring you down?  Which ones no longer serve you well and need to be changed??

It can be scary to finally look at the areas in your life you might be neglecting, but it is absolutely SO worth that risk!

For me, even though I’m still working to bring back the healthy habits I need, I started feeling better right away on that first day that I let myself see the habits that were bringing me down…because I could face them and DO something about them instead of just having to avoid them.

I hope you will join me in my 90-day Radical Self Care Challenge (launches April 2), because we will work on PAYING ATTENTION and being CONSCIOUS of our behaviors and thoughts.  You will have group support, and you can also sign up for 1-1 Coaching during the program to help you deepen your learning and integration.

If you want to know more about the Radical Self Care Challenge, register now for this no-charge teleclass I’m leading on Thursday (March 29).  I will also share some ways you can jump start your self care program right away. (Get more details here.)

Are you happy with your level of self care?  

What habits are you proud of, and which ones do you want to change?   

On Sunday, CNN aired an important conversation between Piers Morgan and Suze Orman, and I was thrilled to hear Suze’s support of entrepreneurs!  Here’s part of the transcript:

Piers Morgan: What is the answer to the broken problem of the moment of America incorporated? The country as a business?

Suze Orman: … I think the answer is people are going to have to become entrepreneurial… they are going to have to become their own bosses. The day of working for a corporation, you get a pension after 30 years and health benefits, gone.  So, if you really want to be secure, you are going to have to be your own boss.

Piers Morgan: It’s fine for you because you are a very bright cookie. You started as a waitress in a restaurant and built this incredible empire. But most average Americans aren’t natural entrepreneurs.

And I don’t think I can agree with that. I think that America does needs to build things. For example, I’m told there’s a huge demand in China for big, heavy machinery and they would buy it from the Americans if the Americans were producing it in the volume that they need it. But they are not. The old style industrialization in America isn’t happening anymore.

Suze Orman: And I think it’s a nice idea. I just don’t think that’s what’s going to happen. I think we’re – we have entered a new period with new technology and things that have never been developed before. That, I think we can do here.

But I still think we have a big problem with how do you get the people back now to work? We can’t wait until all that happens. They need to go back to work now to work. And since the jobs aren’t here, they have to create a job for themselves.

I couldn’t agree more, Suze!  And Piers?  I think there are many more “natural entrepreneurs” out there than we realize — they just need reason (and courage) to actually start that business!

As entrepreneurs, we have the flexibility and the power to move quickly, to make changes and create jobs with a fraction of the time and expense that large corporations require.

We can have significant impact on this country’s financial recovery, so let’s make our businesses the best they can possibly be and do our part to help this country thrive!

Thoughts??

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One way to exponentially increase your entrepreneurial impact is to harness the power of media, and I have a program dedicated to helping you do just that!  Click here for more information, or email me to set up a phone conversation.

Does that surprise you?  If it does, then this blog post is for YOU!

I’ve been thinking a lot about what RADICAL self care means, and one part of it is getting rid of what no longer serves me.  Recently I’m realizing that being nice no longer serves me… and I think it rarely serves any of us.

Here’s why:

“Nice” is often done out of feeling guilty or wanting to please others, being afraid not to show our true feelings  or speak our truth.

When we are being nice, we tend to put our own self second, and what happens then?  We feel resentment.  We resent the person who “made” us do what we didn’t really want to do…or weren’t doing from an authentic place… and although we might not realize it, we also resent ourselves for not honoring our own needs.

When we are feeling so resentful, NO ONE actually benefits from this “nice act” — NO ONE benefits, so why bother doing the nice act in the first place??

I don’t mean that we should treat others poorly or that we stop doing things in service of others.  I mean that we need to change the way we approach the things we do for others.

Instead of automatically doing things just to be “nice,” it is best to first identify what is the greatest action that will serve EVERYONE including OURSELVES.

This is not about being selfish; instead, it is about full and authentic service that comes from the heart and values our own needs as much as others.  This allows us to be compassionate instead of resentful, and EVERYONE benefits from that!

So next time you are tempted to act nice because it seems like what is expected of you, or the easier way out, ask yourself  these 3 questions:

1. Do I really MEAN this?
2. Am I acting from my heart or from my “should”?
3. Does this serve EVERYONE, or just them or just me?

… then do what your RADICAL self care requires!

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Want support in designing and sticking with your own radical self care program?   Join me and other bold, beautiful women in my Radical Self Care Challenge starting April 2!  90 days of self-discovery, self-commitment, and transformative self care!

“Love yourself first, and everything else falls in line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” – Lucille Ball

As I shared in last week’s blog post, a major life transition has thrown me a curve ball, and my self-care has taken quite a hit.  I am absolutely determined to change that, so I have given myself a Radical Self Care Challenge (and you can join me here).

An important part of this challenge is to NOTICE: my behavior, my thoughts, and my feelings.  I’m not happy to admit this, but I’m noticing now that I often run around like a chicken with its head cut off… trying to get everything done, taking care of my business on top of divorce proceedings and caring intently for my beautiful daughter.

I’ve always been proud of my high energy and my “get it done” approach.  But right now the hard truth is that I need more chamomile in my life .   In other words, simple moments of slowing down and breathing deeply:  space between calls, space between projects, space to eat, space to get some fresh air.

Notice this is not about “Calgon take me away” … it’s more about COMING BACK to the important things and insisting on being AWARE of my life even in the middle of all the craziness!

Those true Chamomile moments are to me a foundation of Radical Self Care.

You might want to try these ways that I have been working on my own Chamomile moments:

1. I have been setting my iPhone to ding (gently and quietly) every 30 minutes, reminding me to STOP and breathe deeply.
2. I have been walking outside at every break when I am not on the phone.  Just to breathe fresh air.
3. I walk slowly rather the briskly around.
4. I look out my office window to notice the hawks, the crows, the tree frog sounds.
5. I am making myself Chamomile tea mid morning now.

This newly designed day has a basic feeling of abundance instead of one of lack or loss.  Therefore I have created more abundance in my life!!  You can do this too!

We all need Chamomile moments — whatever that might look like for each of us.   To help support you, I am opening my 90-day Radical Self Care Challenge to each of you, and I welcome YOUR support as we design our customized Radical Self Care programs together, starting April 2!

See more details on the Radical Self Care Challenge webpage, and always feel free to email me if you have other questions or want to hear more about the program from me personally.

We each deserve — and need — to commit to our own self care.  Let’s get RADICAL!

(shhhhhhhh…. )

1.  I love health and wellness… and it is time to bring that love back into focus.

• I have a master’s degree in Health Education, so you can imagine, I have been taking care of me pretty well the past 46 years!
• I love simple exercise like running or walking, but I have not been doing this the past 4 months.
• I fell in love with Pilates this past summer.
• I have been gluten free for 2+ years (along with my daughter – more on that another day).
• I enjoy meditating regularly, but have not been doing it.
• I love food, but I have not been eating enough the past few months.
• I love a good nights sleep, but I have not been sleeping well the past few months.
• I used to take Fridays off to run and meditate at the beach, but I have not been in a while.

2.  I am in the midst of a major life transition (a divorce) with a gorgeous and brilliant 6 year old involved. I’m stressed.  If my body could talk it would say: PLEASE… Be peace.  Find Calm.  Breathe.  Trust.   But I have not been listening well to my body the past few months.

Actually, for the past 4 months, I have not been taking as good care of myself in any area as well as I normally do.  So, It is about TIME to dive in.  It is time to give myself a Radical Self Care challenge.  As I was designing this challenge the other day, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be so much more powerful (and enjoyable!) with a group of like-minded, amazing, bold, fun women?!!’

This is where you come in! 

I am launching my first ever Radical Self Care Challenge – and I want you there with me!  

I have a lot of work to do as I commit to “come back from” these tough few months, but I am committed to the best self care of my life!  If you join this challenge, I will share with you what I am doing, what I am not doing, where I am succeeding, and where I am struggling and not keeping up with my goals.

You can count on radical honesty.

You can count on rigor.

You can count on your feet being held to the fire but with love!

You can count on cutting edge ideas for how to create your own designed radical self care plan that will change your life!  

Some things you should know about me before you dive in to this challenge:

• I believe that self responsibility is a key value.
• I believe that our words matter… so if we say we will do something, we must do it.
• I believe that compassion is the only way, especially when we are not feeling it (this is always a challenge for me, but I try!).
• I believe our children need us to take GREAT care of ourselves for so many reasons!
• I believe that self care is about our WHOLE life, not just our weight or our diet.
• I believe that in America we spend too much money on ‘stuff’ — when life is really about love and relationships.
• I believe that we need to slow down (I know I do!) and smell the flowers, and notice the bugs on the walkway (my 6 year old daughter is great at this).
• I believe that there is always something new to learn.
• I believe that even in the mess, there is perfection.
• I believe that every person has potential.
• I believe that our health is our greatest asset.
• I believe that the way we take care of ourselves is 100% connected to our success.
• I believe that everything is energy and we have a responsibility every day to ‘raise energy up’ around us.
• I believe that it is important to trust.
• I believe that it is up to us to take care of ourselves – no one else can do it for us.

I believe with my Radical Self Care Challenge, there are no limits and — as Wayne Dyer says — if you can see it, you can achieve it.  The sky is the limit!  Let’s go!

For more details about the Radical Self Care Challenge, check out the more detailed web page, or email me if the page does not answer all your questions.

See you at the starting line!  Let’s make this challenge AMAZING together!  Are you ready???

Lorin