"What
you embrace dissolves with grace"
~ Sonia Stringer, Professional Success Coach
Fireside Chat - a personal
note from Teresia & Sonia
In our fast-paced lives, we have
a tendency to start thinking about "what's
next" long before we wrap up what we're
currently working on. While this can be a
strategic way to keep things moving, it can
also rob us of the opportunity to reap the
full rewards of the journey we've been on.
There is great richness and depth to be found
when you take time to really look at your
recent experiences.
As we come up on the end of 2007, we're
want you to resist the urge to plow into
your plans for next year - just long enough
to uncover and savor the gifts and gems
of the year that's rapidly coming to a close.
Take time to look back and see how far you've
come. Honor the progress you've made, the
goals you met, even the challenges you encountered
along the way, and sift through it all to
find the lessons learned. These bits and
pieces can add up to tremendous realizations
that will help you launch into the year
to come.
Acknowledging yourself and appreciating
your growth process is a core component
of enjoying life. Stepping back helps us
see the bigger picture and maintain perspective
on what we want, where we're going, and
how we want to get there.
To support you in conducting a valuable
annual review, this month we're sharing
with you a list of questions and things
to consider. These points are the same ones
we use with our coaching clients, and years
of experience have shown us just how important
this process can be. So block out some time
on your calendar, grab your favorite journal,
and let's get to it!
Don't miss this month's "Savvy
Conversation," a *fre'e* conference
call that will support you as you look back
on the past year and identify your lessons
and achievements. JOIN
US and other like-minded business women
on Thursday, December 13th at 8 AM Pacific
to dig into this annual review process and
learn how to use the results for an even
better year to come! Click here
for more details, and to register!
Your Sassy Catalysts
Teresia LaRocque & Sonia Stringer
SassyandSavvyWomen.com
In this issue:
Feature Article - Reflect
Back and Celebrate Your Year
Savvy Steps - Hitch Up Your
Pantyhose and Get Moving!
Sassy Breakthroughs - Success
Stories of Women Like You
Feature Tools & Resources
Savvy Conversations - Join
Us for A Live Coaching Call
feature
article
Reflect Back and Celebrate
Your Year
One of the most valuable ways to set yourself
up for a great year to come is to take a
good look at the benchmark events of the
past year. This gives you a sense of perspective
that allows you to appreciate your hard
work and positions you to make smarter decisions
moving forward. Here are our favorite things
to consider:
1. What were your greatest
successes?
- Consider the most important areas of your
life (you may want to refer to your wheel
of life). Which accomplishments are you
most proud of in each area?
- Did you meet or exceed your financial
goals?
- Did you accomplish a difficult work project?
- Did you take a hard-earned vacation with
family or friends?
2. How have you evolved?
Who are you becoming?
- Are you more loving? More patient? More
balanced?
- Were you more courageous or adventurous
in 2007?
- Are you now a spouse? A mother? A better
friend?
3. What were
the five most important lessons you learned
in 2007?
What do you know now that you didn't know
in January? These lessons can be the result
of positive or negative experiences. How
can you use your "lessons learned"
to be more strategic in 2008?
4. What important things
do you want to accomplish or change about
your life during 2008?
Take some time to brainstorm; just write
whatever comes to mind. When you're done,
prioritize.
5. What items on your list could be accomplished
more easily with the help of other people?
Enlisting the help of others can be a powerful
way to make things happen. You do not have
to do it all alone! Identify three people
who can help you with each goal. Write down
their names, precisely how you would like
them to help you, and a deadline to contact
them.
6. What were
you most grateful for in 2007?
This is a great time to count your blessings
and be thankful for what you have in your
life.
7. Who made the
biggest difference to you the past year?
Make a list of everyone who played a pivotal
role in your year. How could you show them
your appreciation? Consider writing a heartfelt
note that explains why you appreciate them
so much. A gift from the heart goes a long
way.
8. Ask yourself,
honestly, what you could do to bring more
joy into your daily life, and how to get
started.
Make a list and keep it where it will remind
you to live with more joy on a daily basis.
Remember the simplest things in life can
bring us the most joy.
To conclude this process, take the final
step - celebrate yourself and the progress
you've made in 2007! This may sound optional,
even frivolous, but it's an effortless way
to build up your energy and momentum for
the endeavors that lie ahead. Go ahead,
honor yourself! You deserve it.
Savvy
Steps: Hitch up your pantyhose and get moving!
Right now, before you get started on anything
else, open your calendar and block out some
time to spend on these questions. They are
of no value to you unless you give them
careful consideration and write your answers
down. But when you do, you'll feel yourself
shift into a new level of appreciation and
understanding.
A
Sassy Breakthrough - Jamie Kanner
Another
Sassy Breakthrough!
 Jamie
Kanner is an absolute powerhouse.
Not only does she have four children
(ages 7-16), but she also has a 15-year
career as an entrepreneur and a $3
million business. How does she manage
it all?
She gives a lot of credit to her
habit of planning. "Planning
is like a muscle that you have to
keep building," she says. "I
can plan every day for a month, but
the minute I stop, I'm not nearly
as effective. And it shows. When I
don't plan my appointments and calls
the day before, I wake up thinking
"what have I forgotten?"
The day starts out more hectic and
feels a little out of control."
"But when I do make time to
plan ahead, I sleep better, because
I know everything I need to do the
next day is written down in my planner.
I don't have to worry about forgetting
anything. I wake up with a certainty
about who to call, where to go, and
what I need to take care of. The more
specific my plan is, the smoother
my day goes. I don't just write 'make
6 calls'... I list the names, phone
numbers and key objectives for each
call. It really makes a difference
in my productivity."
Over time, Jamie learned her own
unique rhythm for planning, and that
helps her stay on track. "Because
I have four children, I have to plan
the next day before 3:00p.m. After
that, I'm with my kids, so if the
plan isn't in place by then, it may
not get done. But when I do have my
next day planned by the time the kids
come through the door, I can be fully
present with them, look them in the
eye and really listen to them. I can
handle the crazy, hectic schedule
of four kids in three schools, each
with their own schedule of activities
and list of needs. I can manage the
sports and tutoring and chauffeuring
and shopping and medical appointments
and house and everything else. When
I don't plan ahead, and I'm trying
to remember everything I have on my
plate, it's easy to get so overwhelmed
that I don't know where to start.
When I have a specific plan for the
day, I can easily stay on track -
and the best part is that I know when
I'm done for the day."
Jamie noticed that her commitment
to planning her workday has an impact
on all areas of her life. "These
skills we use in business really apply
across the board. When you can be
present in your personal life, that's
reflected in your business. And when
you are calm and focused in your work,
things feel better at home too. I'm
a much more patient mother when I
plan my workdays. When I'm feeling
stressed and I go into a business
appointment, it takes much more energy
to keep that stress under control.
People want to do business with people
who know where they're going, and
have vision and a plan for getting
there. When you don't plan and seem
organized, business prospects can
feel it and it reduces your success
ratio.
"If you're not focused and prepared,
you can't maximize your time or energy.
It's a choice we make every day. Often,
I don't feel like planning the next
day, but I know it's the little daily
things I do that build my business
and help me accomplish my dreams and
goals."
Jamie Kanner ~ http://jamie.myarbonne.com/ |
| Women
empowering women! Be an inspiration
to other women and share your own Sassy
Breakthrough! If you've experienced
some inspiring successes and you'd like
to be profiled in the Sassy and Savvy
Newsletter, we want to talk to you!
Have you had a win in dealing with your
tolerations, raising your standards,
setting boundaries, or other key concepts?
We invite you to send an e-mail with
a brief description of your breakthrough
to stories@sassyandsavvywomen.com,
and we'll be in touch! |
Featured
Tools & Resources
 Are
you ready to make your life easier? More
satisfying? More authentic?
Then take a moment to download
A New Approach to Goal Setting, a self-coaching
ebook that helps you identify what's most
important to you, and teaches you how to
design your life according to your values.
It just might be the fastest, easiest way
to boost your life to a whole new level,
and it will certainly give you a fresh new
perspective on your New Year's Resolutions!
Take a look... click here.
Savvy
Conversation - December 13th at 8am PST
If you'd like to explore this annual review
in more depth, get coached, and experience
the momentum of other like-minded women
join us on December
13th at 8 AM Pacific / 11 PM Eastern for
the latest Savvy Conversations Coaching
Call. To join the call click here.
In this *fre'e* teleconference, we'll be
exploring the challenges, secrets and shortcuts
that made such a difference over the past
year. In this candid discussion, you learn
about some of the most effective ways to
raise the bar, in both your business and
your personal life. We'll "see"
you there!
Have you checked out our Savvy Mastermind
teams? Let go of the "Lone Ranger"
mentality and experience the magic of being
part of a mastermind. Join a Savvy Mastermind
team, click here.
Watch for more upcoming developments from
the Sassy and Savvy Women! We are building
one amazing community, full of top-notch
resources and high-caliber guidance for
the self-employed woman.
And we're hard at work on our powerful
new book: Sassy and Savvy Self-Employed
Women: The Ultimate Guide to Leverage Your
Business and Love Your Life. If you'd like
to preview a chapter, click here!
Your Sassy Catalysts
Teresia LaRocque & Sonia Stringer
SassyandSavvyWomen.com
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