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« December 2005 |
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| February 2006 »
I am a big fan of newspapers. Sure, I know you can read stuff on the Internet (like this fantastic blog for example!), and I do. Maybe it's the college Journalism major in me, but there's nothing like holding a newspaper in your hands and feeling the inexpensive paper suck the moisture out of your fingers (perfect excuse to buy some lotion made by members of the Handmade Beauty Network!) and slightly stain them with the news of the day. I read about 4 newspapers every other day. No, I don't have the time, but I find the time because the benefits are substantial. We should all know some details about the news of the day so we can put our world into context. And one can't possibly grow a business without also understandig the world in which that business will either live or die.
So this morning, I was having a cuppa Joe at a local coffee shop and reading the paper. I later discovered that an 83-year old gentleman named Sy Mohr had been carefully watching me. No, it wasn't anything creepy.
The old man called out from the next table and told me he had noticed that I had actually opened and read every page of the paper. I looked at his table, which like mine was strewn with newspaper pages, and I was intrigued. What he said to me next was impactful.
"Readers are searchers, and when you search, you always find what you are looking for."
We went on to have as long a conversation as I could fit into my morning. Turns out, he's a celebrated artist whose paintings have appeared in galleries throughout the east coast and even parts of the world including Spain and Rwanda. I never thought I'd meet an artist of such caliber in my own back yard. We live just a few miles from each other and he invited me and my family over to see his in-home gallery and for our first painting lesson from a Master. I am excited about getting to know someone who continues to pursue his passion at the age of 83, and even after a debilitating stroke in 1989 left him barely able to read or speak (he has since nearly fully recovered) and the devastating loss of his dear wife of 50 years in 2003.
As we journey through life, we don't always know exactly what we are looking for, but if we remain in constant "search" mode, with our radars extended to detect the next speck of knowledge or the new bit of opportunity just around the bend, we will find not only what we are looking for but also what we need.
I needed to meet Sy today, to be inspired by another human being so full of the excitement, grace, joy and passion that the challenges of life could have easily stolen from him. Thanks Sy for a great lesson today.
You can enjoy Sy's paintings at his website.
(click photo for larger version)
Do you remember being a little girl and playing dress up? Well, I do, and I really don't have much to say about it. I think the picture says it all. Does it remind you of anyone?
Party dresses, lip gloss, high heeled shoes, confidence and friendship. What more can a girl ask for?
 During the holidays, we had no routine to speak of. We had lots of liesurely brunches and unstructured playtime. But now that the holiday is over, I am trying desperately to get back to work. My husband does his best to help, but yesterday, we both just gave up.
The kids just can't seem to get used to mommy being back in her office again. I really have a lot of work to catch up on, and while in the middle of the workday, I'm usually not in the mood for Thomas The Tank Engine on video or Shopping With Barbie, yesterday, I just gave up.
As I left my office with the realization that I'd be up until at least midnight making up for lost time, I suddenly had an idea. While we were having a great Christmas season, the dirty clothes just kept piling up. "I have an idea, guys! Let's wash clothes!" So here you see us. We were supposed to be washing clothes, but alas, we just ended up making an even bigger mess.
It's still not cleaned up. Oh well. Making the Lifestyle CEO Choice comes with these kinds of strange balancing acts. When you want to work but can't, you go and play knowing that moments with your kids are precious and will never come again. At the same time, you're going to lose some sleep if you're going to get those customer orders taken care of. Yes, it has its challenges but in the end, it's the best life of all.
Now for a cuppa Joe and then back to work for a while, and then back down the hall to wash some clothes.
 Do you have a close circle of girlfriends that you can count on no matter what? Who did you call when you were a new mom to help you through breastfeeding or those nights of colic and spit up? Who was there for you when you were so tired you couldn't take another step? Who held your hand when you had a week or two with no new customers, and then said, "This is temporary -- you can do this!" Who on this Earth knows all of your faults and most of your secrets, yet loves you anyway and never compromises your confidences?
Your MaBuKi's, that's who!!
MaBuKi is a term I coined last month while trying to invent a novel and memorable way to thank my closest friends for their support in 2005. I was looking for an end of year event that would let them know how much they are appreciated. A Christmas present in a box would have been nice, yes. A lovely card or a handwritten letter. All really good options. But I wanted something that they had never gotten from me or anyone else before, and something that they could treasure in their hearts as I treasure them in mine. And I needed to do it on a budget.
Then, it came to me. Ma-Bu-Ki! Marriage. Business. Kids. Three of the most important things in my life! I wanted to honor women who had helped me to sort through the challenges and enjoy the triumphs of 2005 as it concerned marrige, business and kids. Ma-Bu-Ki. Get it!? So I hosted my first (of many) MaBuKi Party!
You're invited ...
 On December 30, I hosted my first MaBuKi Party. Dinner was provided by Chef Susan of Heart of the Home Dining. Susan contributes the Food section to the Lifestyle CEO Online Magazine. Susan prepared a delicious meal of roasted chicken stuffed with grapes and mango slices, Parmesan spinach balls (so delish!), assorted steamed root vegetables, roasted asparagus, wheat dinner rolls and a Jamaican fruited pound cake. We topped it off with sparkling cider (MaBuKi's don't drink and drive!) in crystal champagne glasses.
Then, the real MaBuKi began! December '05 Lifestyle CEO To Know Cinnamon Bowser and her assistant from Nail Taxi arrived to give each of my MaBuKi's a Pumpkin Spice Sugar Souffle manicure and pedicure. My MaBuKi's were swooning. Each of them is a busy mom with a growing small business, which leaves little time for mani and pedi. But MaBuKi changed all that, and my MaBuKi's deserved every bit of it.
 We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and a memorable time of fellowship and encouragement. It was the single most fantastic and original thing I did to revitalize my personal life during all of 2005. By giving to them a tiny bit of what they have given to me over the years, I also gave so much to myself.
Thanks to my MaBuKi's, left to rigt in the photo above, Karen Davis, Beverly Lucas and Patricia Thompson Hill. Patricia is a speaker at the upcoming Lifestyle CEO Conference!) I love you all. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to treat you.
Who are your MaBuKi's? Host a MaBuKi Party and let them know how much you appreciate them in your life!
 (Photo courtesy of ABC News via AP)
I think it's great, don't you? I mean, here's a man who started out as an office boy at a small New York radio station and today, owns a multi-million dollar communications company that spearheads world renowned productions like The Golden Globe Awards, the American Music Awards, the Family Television Awards and the Academy of Country Music Awards. And if that were not enough, he licenses rights to several restaurants including one named for The American Bandstand show which was so popular in the 50s, 60s and 70s.
In December 2004, the 76 year old icon suffered a severe stroke. And after months of grueling rehabilitation, he was back two days ago -- just over a year after the stroke -- to host another of the shows he created, Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve. As he opened the evening, he said, "I wouldn't have missed this for the world." What an incredible attitude, slurred speech and all.
Of course it doesn't hurt that he owns the show. And isn't that the point. If he had been employed by someone else, he would certainly have been put out to pasture after his stroke. But Dick Clark created the show. Dick Clark owns the show. Dick Clark is the show. You go Dick! I applaud your gusto, entrepreneurial spirit, enthusiasm and determination.
When you love what you do, as Dick Clark obviously does, wild horses can't keep you away, much less an annoying little stroke. Thank you Dick for showing us that we can be vibrant and useful as long as we choose to be, and that building your own corporate ladder has benefits that last forever and spread around the world and back again!!
 It's the start of a brand new year and I could not be more excited!
My blog is a bit sparse in the way of content for last month, but I'm forgiving myself since like you, I spent every spare moment with my family. We enjoyed a fantastic Christmas season and I hope you did too.
Now, onto the New Year and the promise of exciting new opportunities for all of us. One of my most important tasks this month is to bring you the most exciting event of the year -- the first ever Lifestyle CEO Conference!!
Boy am I ready for that! Won't you join me and 100 other women from around the nation as we uplift, inspire and encourage one another to break all the rules, build our own corporate ladders and create the lives we love?!
I can't wait to meet you there!!
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