What A Game Changer Teaches You

People expect those circumstances which are more or less planned or anticipated such as a marriage, birth of a child, or even relocation to be a game-changer but the ones that really rock our world in a way we can't  prepare for are the surprise detours, roadblocks, and unexpected turn of events  we don't see coming and think will play by our rules.

While I knew my husband was looking for work out of state, I somehow believed I could continue to manage a large therapy practice by commuting from 800 miles away at least for several days each week. I had run my practice for over 20 years and while it was thriving without me being constantly present, I hadn't thought about the true logistics.

Oh, I knew I would be hopping on a plane and spending several days back at my practice and then reverse my plans and return to my new home. But, what I hadn't figured in were the countless "trivia" also was involved.

Somehow, I had managed to overlook the fact that I would need to now rent a car AND look for a place to "live" several days out of each week since I no longer had a house and my car would be 800 miles away. Sure, I had well-meaning friends who offered their "extra" bedrooms but the surest way to ruin a great friendship is to begin to schedule who would be responsible for me "bunking" at their home each week. Then there was that matter of food which had to be figured into expenses and gas for the rental car. For months my husband sweetly tried to discourage me believing this arrangement was possible and I realized when I totalled the cost of airfare and other expenses, he was obviously anxious about the fact that I might be spending more than I would be making with each trip back "home." I realized I had to sell my practice and leave behind both the friends I had known all my life, and the "baby" I had grown from scratch and nutured for over 2 decades. This was a game-changer and initially, I surrendered kicking and screaming, silently hoping my husband would hate the move and want to return to the only home I had ever known. 

It did not happen

But, because I was forced to begin again in a new city where I knew less than 3 people and could barely find my way out of my neighborhood let alone navigate the major freeways, I was forced to have no choice but to get a new home, new friends, a GPS, and move on.(well, forced if I wanted to stay married!)

The second unexpected game changer occurred 2 years ago, when I received a call from my husband's cardiologist telling me he was admitting my husband to the hospital because he had passed out while on a treadmill during a routine physical. The following morning, he had his aortic valve replaced. While we always knew the valve was defective, we had just been told 6 months earlier he would need it replaced in about 5 years. Realizing he dodged a bullet was a game-changer. If I had known this years ago when I was thinking I would fly back to my practice for a few days every week, I would never have wanted to give up that time we could spend together.

As it was, it all worked out and I learned to very important things.

1) Sometimes what you think you can do is unrealistic
2) Sometimes you don't get to make the decision, circumstance makes it for you.

Game-changers especially the ones which are not anticipated can actually be the best thing that might happen especially if you are torn between choices or confused about direction. Sometimes having limited choices or many options is actually a blessing and creates a more viable alternative.

A serious illness, job loss, financial crisis, major tragedy, betrayal are all game-changers.

Are you looking at a game-changer and trying to control it from all angles? 

Sometime the best way to handle a game-changer is to look it in the eye and give it permission to do it's thing...and get a new life, new house, new career, GPS and  MOVE ON.

What was a big unexpected game changer in your life?

CALLED WOMAN...CALLED SUCCESS

This past weekend has been the culmination of a year of planning and preparing to share the spirit of resources and encouragement to other women entrepreneurs who have a dream or a passion and want to make it happen.

On Saturday, my colleagues Lynne Watts and Kim Wiggins joined me in hosting the 2nd. annual CALLED WOMAN CONFERENCE  and are still beaming from the wonderful  comments those who attended shared with us!

Our speakers shared not just their stories, suggestions and strategies but sometimes even their souls as everyone poured every effort into guiding those who want to make a dream a reality.

I watched total strangers hug, share tears and cheer each other on. I saw women who reported never being able to share in front of anyone, open up as though they had always done so. I witnessed individuals who had changed careers two, three, sometimes five times on their way to discover their true passion share their amazing stories but my words will never do justice, 
My colleague and sweet friend, Lynne Watts has already shared this story better than I ever could. To see the pictures and read more check it out here.

It was everything and more. We all learned something and became better people with a larger dream and a bigger vision because of what we shared.

Thank you Lynne and Kim and every wonderful woman who felt "called" to this conference.

There is something amazing about being among people who have discovered their fire, ignited it and now want you to be able to do the same.

How about you? Do you want a CALLED WOMAN CONFERENCE to come to your city and get your dreams ignited?

Down To The Wire

This is an exciting week for myself and two of my colleagues. Our conference, Called Woman Let's Do Launch is this Saturday, March 23.We are busy putting final touches on everything from the Speaker's Reception to our full day conference making sure everyone who attends gets the most bang for their buck and really comes away ready to take an idea to the next level or a product to a whole new perspective.

Like many good ideas, this conference might just have been a thought we tossed around over three years ago when my colleagues and I met at a different type of a conference, but we did not choose to simply put our ideas on the shelf and wait until all the stars aligned to begin exploring hosting a conference such as this.

No, we took our chances and hosted the first Called Woman Conference last year and now are headed into a second year of sharing great information and insight to other women who want to do the same.

That's the trouble with an idea or a passion; left without momentum it begins to whither at best or even die. How many times have you thought, "I wish I would've made that move or developed that idea, or stuck with that plan years ago?"

 How often have you left a great desire fall through your hands when you got down to the wire and were ready to launch from the starting block? Did you just give up and tell yourself, "Someday when I have more money or time or energy I will do this."? Well, did you make your passion happen when you had more money, time or energy or do you realize you will never have enough money, time or energy? Are you down to the wire of realizing a dream might simply dissolve if you don't get into your start mode and get ready for the run of your life?

We want to help you get your passion started. We want to show you how to go from just a thought to a real product. We want to take your dream and make it a viable reality. But YOU have to take the money, time and energy to SHOW UP and let us help you launch.

If it's always been a dream of yours to do something, why not decide no matter what, this time you will not let all the excuses hold you back. This time you will stop wishing and start working on that dream that you have shelved more times than you care to imagine.

It's down to the wire for the Called Woman Conference. Sign up today and pass this info along to a friend you believe could benefit from attending. Maybe this door of opportunity is opening for a reason.It's your time to walk through and see all that is on the other side of wishing, dreaming and someday.

This time next week, your chance will be over. You could be well on your way to realizing you are making your passion, happen or you can do what you always do and walk away again without ever knowing what you could have done.

I think you are so worth it, I want you to attend for FREE and if you contact me and tell me you do as well, I will tell you how. 

NOW, Do you have an excuse or do you have a passion?

SEE YOU THERE.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Eleanor Roosevelt

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• Move your dream from someday to now

Six Word Memoir, Six Word Passion

I have accepted the challenge of a great group I participate in of fellow bloggers who decided to share our 6 Word Memoirs as part of a group blog hop. Thank you Suzy for introducing me and to Corinne who put this idea together.

The 6 Word Memoir stems from Ernest Hemmingways famous six word story: "For Sale...Baby Shoes, Never Worn." It's a huge challenge for most writers to pen fewer than more words and still have something of impact to say.

So here is mine:  I Am His Work In Progress

That pretty much sums up my life, still growing, learning, making the errors, asking forgiveness and starting again. Grateful for the God who lets me do this, repeatedly.

How about you?

I challenge all my readers to pen their 6 Word Memoir and their 6 Word Passion as well.

My 6 Word Passion would be: I Want To Make A Difference.

So share both of yours and visit Theresa as she shares her Memoir here.

Is It Time For A Professional Make-over?

It's easy to try a new hairstyle, experiment with a different shade of make-up or revamp part of our wardrobe. It's a little more difficult to completely change an appearance by losing considerable weight or with some botox at the skilled hands of a wonderful plastic surgeon, but it seems to be much more difficult to handle a professional make-over and yet that is exactly what we sometimes need to really soar beyond our current status and start to really make some professional strides.

How do you know it's time for a professional make-over? It's time when you don't feel what you are doing is making a productive difference in your life or in the lives of anyone else. It's time when you fell stagnant and have lost the direction you once had. It's time when you feel out of touch with current industry trends and needs and can't seem to find a purpose for your contribution in society. It' time when you feel stale and not moving forward or moving at all.

It really has little to do with your actual job and more to do with your perception about what you have to offer and where you are headed with your talents. People can be quite satisfied with a very menial position if it meets their needs and they are able to feel a sense of purposeful living as a result. A professional make-over, much like a physical one means you need some substantial change to feel alive again. 

Think of a professional make-over using the acronym MADS...what do you need to Multiply, Add, Divide or Subtract from your current situation to feel like things are finally going in the right direction professionally.(You can use this same technique with a product, but we'll save that for another time.

Multiply...What do you need to expand exponentially to creat the professional opportunity you enjoy? Do you need to actually have several different things to do at once to feel invigorated? Are you a person who feels more complete with  many irons in the fire and a variety of activities to be invested in to feel purposeful? Maybe you simply need find other interests and outlets and expand your reach instead of depending on just one field or expertise to suffice.

Add...Does your current profession make you feel invisible or not really like you are a player in whatever arena you choose to contribute? If you feel you are performing only sideline tasks, maybe it's time to add more responsibility. Do you need to become involved in a more meaningful activity? Is your current situation not your true passion and do you need to add time to your schedule to work towards your true passion? Is it time to add a class, seminar or event that will help redefine your profession?

Divide...Often our professions become a nest of entangled jobs within our jobs. Are you exhausted from wearing too many hats and need to start thinking about a better system of delegation? Do you crave a time when you felt you could roll up your sleeves and tackle a job and get it done without constantly being distracted, pulled in too many directions and leaving too many projects in remnants never completing anything? You may need to seriously decide how to parse out the unessential or unnecesary components of your profession and concentrate on what you do best. If you must micromanage everything you will become professionally exhausted before you reap the best benefits. Learn to let go of the things someone else can do and concentrate on your true talent. 

Subtract...Sometimes it's just a matter of deciding what you want to accomplish and how you want to do it and then identify the obstacle that prevents you from feeling the most successful in accomplishing it. If you feel you could perform better with more time, you must subtract something that consumes what time you do have. If you are short on resources whether financial or emotional perhaps you need to decide what one thing you could eliminate which could free up some funds or lessen stress. Everyone can start with one thing to help reduce the burdens that make our professions less enjoyable. Sometimes it is a commute. Can you take mass transit but use that time to sleep, read up on a new skill or catch up on another activity? Could you choose to be more flexible with your schedule if you subtracted something else? Is it time to think about letting go of something that is no longer profitable or even holds your interest? 

You can keep doing more of the same and getting nowhere or you can decide that it's time for a serious professional make-over and see how things look a month, a year, two years from now. Just like those seriously vintage shoes which are no longer in style or that retro hairdo that is doing nothing for you, unless you tackle changing some things, you will continue to feel like you are in a professional rut, struggling to just peer out above the walls around you.

Spring is just around the corner, so maybe it really IS time to work on "cleaning house" and getting around to that make-over you have been promising yourself professionally for some time now. You might not need the hairdresser or the make-up artist but you might just need a career coach, specific training, a mentor, a master-mind group or even a vacation.

What part of MADS would help you improve professionally?

I'd love to help you or your group get your ideas off the ground. Check out my  speaking topics 
and let me know how I can help you ignite your idea and please sign up for my  newsletter  

Want to join others who are trying to launch their ideas?
Register for CALLED WOMAN 2013...I'll see you there and help you get started!!